The No. 6 McLennan women's basketball squad fell to the Grayson Vikings 62-54 tonight on the road.
It was a fast-paced first quarter. Susan Fahnbulleh began the scoring with a 3-pointer from the wing for Grayson before a Charnelle Hoof jumper put McLennan on the board less than a minute into the contest. The Vikings built a five-point lead at 12-7 with 5:40 to go in the quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Trinity Butler and Kaedynce Cox-Dunlap gave McLennan its first lead at 13-12 with 3:45 to go. Grayson would briefly go up 14-13 following a Jaycee Ingram shot off the glass but Hoof responded with a pair of jumpers to make it 17-14 after the first.
McLennan carried the momentum into the second, opening on a 5-0 run. Grayson was held to just two free throws in the first three minutes of the frame, 22-16. McLennan continued to roll, using an 8-0 run to push the lead to14 at 30-16 with 5:34 to go before the half. Grayson rallied to cut the lead to nine at 30-21 but McLennan ended on a 6-2 run with buckets by Tajenae Gooden, Lanaijha Johnson and Cox-Dunlap to make it a 13-point lead at the break, 36-23.
Grayson cut the lead to nine midway in the third, 39-30, but McLennan pushed back to 12 with just over a minute left in the quarter. The Vikings ended the period on a 4-0 run to trail by eight heading into the final period, 46-38.
With momentum on its side, Grayson chipped away and took the 52-50 lead on a Fia Filoialii 3-pointer with 5:19 remaining in the game. Filoialii added a bucket to put the Vikings up by four, 54-50 with 3:52 to play. Johnson added a pair of free throws for McLennan but Grayson responded with a Lily Melton 3-pointer to make it 57-52 Grayson. A steal-and-bucket by Gooden pulled McLennan back within three, 57-54 with 1:41 to go. Grayson had the ball on its own end of the court and called a timeout with 46.4 second remaining. A Gooden steal gave McLennan the ball with 31 seconds to play but her shot bounced off the iron. Madison Martin added a pair of free throws, 59-54, with 20 seconds on the clock. Following a timeout, McLennan advanced the ball but couldn't capitalize as a shot bounced off the top of the backboard. Grayson also advanced the ball following a timeout with 11.9 to go. Melton and Tahlaya Biglow went 3-4 from the free throw line in the final seconds to secure the win.
Charnelle Hoof led McLennan with 14 points.
McLennan: Nevaeh Otis 0 0-0 0; Kaedynce Cox-Dunlap 2 0-0 5; Ar'Mya Amos-Horsley 0 0-0 0; Shakira Brown 0 0-0 0; Charnelle Hoof 7 0-0 14; Tajenae Gooden 2 4-4 8; Charravia Smith 2 0-1 5; Trinity Butler 2 0-0 6; Danai Lewis 4 1-4 9; Lanaijha Johnson 2 3-4 7; Totals: 21 8-13 54.
Grayson: Tahlaya Biglow 0 2-2 2; Andrea Johnson 1 1-2 4; Iv Jackson 1 0-0 2; Madison Martin 1 4-4 6; Susan Fahnbulleh 7 2-2 19; Niamh Chamberlain 0 0-0 0; Fia Filoialii 5 0-0 12; Lily Melton 2 1-2 7; Jaycee Ingram 3 2-2 8; Taniyah Davis 0 2-4 2; Totals: 20 14-18 62.
Halftime score: McLennan 36, Grayson 23; 3-pointers: McLennan4 (Butler 2, Smith 1, Cox-Dunlap 1), Grayson 8 (Fahnbulleh 3, Filoialii 2, Melton 2, Johnson 1); Total fouls: McLennan 16, Grayson 14; Record: McLennan 15-2 (3-1).
