The McLennan Highlassies fell to the Blinn Buccaneers 81-74 on the road tonight in Brenham.
 
The game was close throughout the first half. McLennan began the scoring with a shot off the glass by Brielle Dorsey. Blinn took the lead on the next possession with a 3-pointer in the corner from Allanna Thompson. A pair of Mersadez Nephew put the Highlassies back on top 4-3 with 8:49 to go in the first. Blinn used a 5-0 run over the next two minutes to build a four-point lead. The Highlassies responded with back-to-back baskets by Miannah Little and Demetrius Lewis to tie the game at 8 and took the lead on another Lewis jumper. Blinn quickly tied the game with a pair of free throws by Telisha Brown, and the two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the period. A Brown 3-pointer with 16 seconds to go gave Blinn the 18-15 lead.
 
The Buccaneers extended the lead to five at 24-19 with 8:07 to play in the second quarter. A pair of buckets by Kinley Brown pulled the Highlassies within one. Blinn led 34-32 with 1:42 remaining and ended the quarter on a 5-0 run to take the 39-32 lead at the break.
 
Blinn opened the third on a 5-0 run to extend the lead to double digits, 43-32. McLennan battled, using a 13-2 run highlighted by six points from Nephew and four points from Bailee St. Romain to tie the game at 45 with 4:06 to go in the third. The Highlassies took the lead, 47-45, on a long Nephew jumper. McLennan pushed the lead to five but the Buccaneers rallied to tie the game at 55 with a Tiffany Tullis buzzer beater going into the fourth quarter.
 
With the momentum on its side, Blinn pushed the lead back to 10 with 5:43, 67-57. A bucket and one by Highlassies Kinley Brown with 4:58 to play cut the lead to seven, 67-60. The Buccaneers extended the lead to 11, 71-60 with 3:44 to play. McLennan rallied again and trimmed the lead to five with three seconds to go but ran out of time to complete the comeback.
 
Mersadez Nephew led McLennan with 19 points. Kinley Brown and Brielle Dorsey added 18 and 14, respectively.
 
McLennan returns to action Saturday, traveling to Beeville for a 2 p.m. contest at Coastal Bend.
 
McLennan: Valisa Millhouse 0 2-2 2; Miannah Little 3 1-1 9; Demetrius Lewis 3 0-2 6; Jaydyn Bullard 1 0-0 2; Pryia Thompson 0 1-2 1; Mersadez Nephew 4 7-8 19; Gabby Owens 0 0-0 0; Kinley Brown 6 4-5 18; Bailee St. Romain 2 0-1 2; Brielle Dorsey 5 4-5 14; Kai Finister 0 0-0 0; Mariona Garcia 0 0-0 0; Totals: 24 19-26 75.
 
Blinn: Amillion Fowler 0 1-2 1; Tiffany Tullis 6 2-3 15; Telisha Brown 5 7-9 20; Allana Thompson 3 8-10 14; Kaidance Glenn 0 0-0 0; Makayla Patterson 3 5-9 11; Jakoriah Long 0 0-0 0; Deja Adrian 5 1-4 11; Chynell Mitchell 0 0-0 0; Hannah Humphrey 2 0-0 6; Skylar Barnes 2 0-0 4; Totals: 36 25-40 81.
 
3-pointers: McLennan 8 (Nephew 4, Little 2, Brown 2), Blinn 5 (Brown 3, Humphrey 2); Total fouls: McLennan 32, Blinn 23; Fouled out: McLennan (Thompson, Brown); Halftime: Blinn 39, McLennan 32; Record: McLennan 2-2.