The 17th-ranked McLennan Highlassies cruised to a 73-50 win over the Panola Fillies tonight at The Highlands.
The teams appeared to be evenly matched from the opening tip. Aniya Williams put the Highlassies on the board with a jumper less than a minute into the contest. Panola responded with a layup from Sharayah Johnson to tie the game at two with 7:40 to go in the first. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Saneea Bevley and Chelsea Wooten gave McLennan the six-point lead midway through the quarter, 8-2. The Fillies rallied to cut the lead to one at 8-7, and the Highlassies led 18-14 at the end of the first.
Another Bevley 3-pointer push the McLennan lead to seven early in the second. Leading 23-18 with 8:14 to play in the second. The Highlassies used a 6-0 run to begin creating some distance between the two squads, 29-18. McLennan extended the lead to 13 on a baseline drive by Miannah Little with 1:31 to go before the half but a last second jumper by Panola's Avery Young cut the lead to 11 at the break, 36-23.
McLennan continued to push in the third quarter. The Fillies cut the lead to nine early, 38-29, but the Highlassies pulled away. McLennan held Panola at arm's length throughout the quarter and pushed the lead to 18 going to the final period, 56-38.
The Highlassies broke the game wide open to start the fourth, opening on a 10-2 run to extend the lead to 24 points, 66-40. McLennan led by as many as 29 in the period, cruising to the big victory.
Saneea Bevley led McLennan with 22 points. Bineta Diatta and Aysia Ward scored 17 and 10, respectively.
Panola: Lyric Scott 2 0-0 5; Savannah Velazquez 0 0-0 0; Kayla Webster 2 0-0 4; Gabby Owens 0 0-0 0; Gionna Carr 5 0-0 11; Sharayah Johnson 7 5-7 19; Avery Young 4 0-0 9; Coy Mason 1 0-0 2; Totals: 21 5-7 50.
McLennan: Alicia Mills 0 0-0 0; Aysia Ward 5 0-0 10; Chelsea Wooten 2 0-0 6; Miannah Little 3 0-0 7; Saneea Bevley 8 0-1 22; Jaydyn Bullard 0 1-2 1; Niamh Heath 1 0-2 1; Bineta Diatta 7 2-2 17; Aniya Williams 2 1-2 5; Cynaye Bobbitt 0 3-4 3; Totals: 28 7-13 73.
3-pointers: Panola 3 (Scott 1, Carr 1, Young 1), McLennan 10 (Bevley 6, Wooten 2, Little 1, Diatta 1); Total fouls: Panola 16, McLennan 13; Halftime score: McLennan 36, Panola 25; Record: McLennan 4-1.
