The McLennan Highlanders fell to the Midland Chaparrals 74-71 in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Region V Tournament in Odessa.
The Highlanders were pumped from the opening tip. A pair of free throws from Amare Banks followed by a fast-break layup by Joseph Mayberry III gave McLennan the early 4-0 lead. A 3-pointer from Duane Thompson put the Chaparrals on the board with 18:31 to play, 4-3. The Highlanders responded with a 9-0 run highlighted by a Joseph Burgess and a three-point play from Mayberry III, putting McLennan up by double figures at 13-3. Midland began to chip away and took a one-point lead at 15-14 on a pair of Thompson free throws with 10:42 to go in the half. The Chaparrals continued to rally, building a seven-point lead at 22-15 just two minutes later. It was an eight-point Midland lead at 25-17 when Banks stepped up for the Highlanders, going on an 8-0 run on his own to tie the game at 25 with five minutes to play. The teams traded baskets for the next four minutes with the Chaparrals leading 33-21 in the final 30 seconds. An and-one play by Darius Carr just before the buzzer made it a four-point Midland lead at the half, 36-32.
The Chaparrals had the momentum early in the second half, pushing the lead to 10 at 50-40 with 15:39 remaining in the game. The Highlanders began to rally, with an 8-0 run highlighted by a 3-pointer by Aiden Law to cut the lead to two, 50-48 with 13:45 to play. Midland pushed the lead back to seven at 61-54 with 8:44 to go. McLennan rallied again by strong play from Banks, Burgess and Mayberry III to pull within one at 63-62. The Chaparrals went back up by four, 70-66, before Banks drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key with just under two minutes to play to cut the lead to one, 70-69. A Julian Cuillier bucket put the Highlanders back on top at 71-70 but Carr added a pair of free throws to give Midland the 72-71 lead with a minute to play. Carr added a bucket with one second on the clock to secure the win.
Amare Banks led the way for McLennan with 24 points. Joseph Mayberry III added 14, and Joe Burgess score 13.
Midland: Cayden Reed 3 0-0 7; Duane Thompson 3 3-4 12; Darius Carr 7 6-7 23; Joustin Reyes 4 0-0 9; Nayte Spargo 0 0-0 0; Brandon White 0 0-0 0; Kevin Smith-Johnson Jr. 0 0-0 0; Romerey Mateus 0 0-0 0; Solomon Ominu 4 1-3 9; Antoine Bo Hurns 2 0-0 5; Yeison Liberato 4 1-2 9; Totals: 27 11-18 74.
McLennan: Julian Cuillier 1 0-0 2; Aiden Law 2 0-0 6; Joseph Mayberry III 5 4-5 14; Kardae Turner 1 0-0 2; Amare Banks 8 3-4 24; Avion Jackson 1 2-4 4; Timi Ibikunle 0 2-2 2; Howard Gaskins Jr. 1 2-2 4; Joe Burgess 6 1-4 13; Maximilian Blank 0 0-0 0; Totals: 25 14-21 71.
Halftime score: Midland 36, McLennan 32; 3-pointers: Midland 9 (Thompson 3, Carr 3, Reed 1, Reyes 1, Hurns 1), McLennan 7 (Banks 5, Law 2); Total fouls: Midland 15, McLennan 15; Record: McLennan 29-2 (14-0).
