The McLennan Highlanders held off a late Hill Rebel rally to come away with a 59-52 win on the road this afternoon in Hillsboro. With the win, the Highlanders improve to 20-3 on the season and 7-1 in conference play.
 
McLennan opened the game on a 6-0 run with a pair of baskets from Kirk Smith Jr. and one from Justin Wilson. A John Buggs III 3-pointer put Hill on the board with 15:50 to go in the first half. The Highlanders led 14-9 with 11:51 on the clock. A pair of Bryce Latimer free throws for Hill followed by a 3-pointer from Jamal Fuller tied the game at 14. The teams traded the lead with the Rebels holding the 17-15 lead with :59 to go in the first half. McLennan began to pull away, using a 7-0 run. The Highlanders led 24-21 with just under four minutes remaining before halftime and ended the period on a 9-0 run to take the 33-21 advantage into the break.
 
The Highlanders opened the second half on a 5-0 run with a basket from Chris Pryor and three free throws from Nehemiah Nuckolls, 38-21. McLennan kept Hill at arm's length through the majority of the second half, leading by as many as 18. The Highlanders led 54-37 with 7:14 remaining in the game. Hill put together a 7-0 rally over the next two minutes to cut the McLennan lead back to 10, 54-44 with just over five minutes to play. The Rebels continued to push and pulled within six on a pair of Gob Gabriel free throws with 52 seconds left, 58-52. McLennan added a CJ Hall free throw with 20 seconds to go and the Highlander defense held Hill off in the final seconds to secure the win
 
Hall led the Highlanders with 15 points and was the only McLennan player in double figures.  

McLennan: Forte Prater 2 0-0 4; Dillon Gooding 3 2-2 8; CJ Hall 6 2-4 15; Nehemiah Nuckolls 2 3-5 7; Chris Pryor 2 2-2 6; Diego Gonzalez 0 0-0 0; Cortland Blake 2 2-2 8; Kirk Smith Jr. 2 1-2 5; Javani Brown 0 0-0 0; Justin Wilson 3 0-3 6; Totals: 22 12-20 59.
 
Hill: John Buggs III 7 4-5 22; Muhamed Kante 1 0-0 3; Bryce Latimer 2 4-4 8; Gob Gabriel 1 2-2 4; Chuol Deng 1 3-4 5; Hanniel Quattara 0 0-0 0; Dylan McLean 1 0-0 2; Jamal Fuller 3 1-1 8; Totals: 6 14-16 52.
 
3-pointers: McLennan 3 (Blake 2, Hall 1); Hill 6 (Buggs III 4, Kante 1, Fuller 1); Total fouls: McLennan 15, Hill 18; Fouled out: McLennan (Gooding); Record: McLennan 20-3 (7-1).