In a game that came down to the final possession, the McLennan Highlanders defeated the Kilgore Rangers 67-66 in Kilgore.
It was a low-scoring first half between the Highlanders and Rangers. McLennan began the scoring with a free throw by Kardae Turner. Kilgore took the lead with a bucket and pair of free throws by Lamarious White, 4-1. The game was tied at nine with 12:11 to go in the first half. Kilgore heated up behind the arc to create some distance over the Highlanders. An 11-3 run put the Rangers up 20-12 with 8:50 to play before the half. A long two-pointer from Avion Jackson followed by a floater by Howard Gaskins Jr. cut the lead in half, 20-16. Kilgore halted the McLennan run with a 3-pointer in the corner by Kaiden Myers and went on to push the lead to seven at 25-18 with 5:27 on the clock. A 3-pointer by Antonio Shannon Jr. gave the Rangers their first double-digit lead of the afternoon at 28-18. McLennan continued to fight, using a 10-0 run highlighted by five points from Gaskins Jr. to tie the game at 28 with two minutes to go. Kilgore outscored the Highlanders 4-3 in the final minutes to lea 32-31 at the break.
The Rangers came out shooting in the second half, extending the leas to seven early, 40-33. Back-to-back baskets by Aiden Law and Gaskins Jr. pulled McLennan within three, 40-37. The Highlanders continued to fight, tying the game at 47 on a Mayberry III cut through the lane. Kilgore responded with a quick 6-0 run to go up 53-47. Kenneth Morrast added a pair of 3-pointers and a free throw by Amare Banks to go up 54-53 with 7:45 remaining in the game. The Highlander lead was short-lived as the Rangers' Shannon Jr. drained a 3-pointer from the corner, 56-54. Kilgore went back up by six before Morrast drained another pair of 3-pointers followed by a Mayberry III runner to lead 62-60 with 3:30 to play. The teams battled with Kilgore taking a one-point lead at 66-65 on an and-one by White with two minutes on the clock. McLennan took the lead on a Gaskins Jr. drive to the basket with 12.9 seconds to play to seal the victory.
Howard Gaskins Jr. led the Highlanders with 16 points. Joseph Mayberry III and Kenneth Morrast added 15 and 14, respectively.
McLennan: Julian Cuillier 1 0-0 2; Kenneth Morrast 5 0-0 14; Aiden Law 1 0-0 2; Joseph Mayberry III 6 3-5 15; Kardae Turner 6 3-5 15; Amare Banks 2 4-5 8; Avion Jackson 1 0-0 2; Timi Ibikunle 0 0-0 0; Howard Gaskins Jr. 7 2-2 16; Joe Burgess 3 1-3 7; Maximilian Blank 0 0-0 0; Totals: 26 11-17 67.
Kilgore: Antonio Shannon Jr. 5 1-3 14; Jordan Moore 2 2-2 7; Antoine Shannon 5 0-0 13; Kaiden Myers 3 2-3 11; Dekwon Brown 0 0-0 0; Chidi Umeh 0 0-0 0; Ja'Corian Oes 0 0-0 0; Lamarious White 4 6-8 14; Kole Williams 0 0-0 0; Josh Olutayo 2 3-6 7; Totals: 21 14-22 66.
Halftime score: Kilgore 32, McLennan 31; 3-pointers: McLennan 4 (Morrast 4), Kilgore 10 ( A. Shannon 3, A. Shannon 3, Myers 3, Moore 1); Total fouls: McLennan 15, Kilgore 19; Fouled out: Banks (McLennan); Record: McLennan 7-0.
