The McLennan Highlanders showed their shooting prowess once again, blowing past the Texas Christian Wolfpack 88-67 for the second time in a week.
Kirk Smith Jr. put McLennan on the board less than 30 seconds into the game and the two teams traded baskets for the first three minutes of play. The game was tied at seven with 16:46 to go in the first half. A Nehemiah Nuckolls bucket in the lane ignited a 14-0 run by the Highlanders capped off by five points from Ja'Kyrie Robinson. McLennan led by 15, 26-11, midway through the half but Texas Christian wasn't intimated. The Wolfpack put together a 7-0 run to pull within eight, 26-18. The Highlanders rallied down the stretch and extended their lead back to 15 at the break.
Texas Christian showed some fight to start the second half, opening on a 5-0 run. McLennan responded with a 6-0 run and continued to pull away. The Highlanders led by 16, 58-42, with 12:35 remaining in the game. Another 8-0 run extended the McLennan lead to 24, 66-42. The Wolfpack cut the lead to 16 several times late in the game but that was as close as they could get.
Nehemiah Nuckolls led McLennan with 15 points and Ja'Kyrie Robinson scored 14. Kirk Smith Jr. recorded a double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Chris Pryor added 13 and Maurice Harvey scored 10.
The Highlanders return to action Wednesday, hosting Good Vision Academy at 7:30 p.m.
Texas Christian: Grimes 0 0-0 0; Spivey 3 3-4 9; Jones 0 0-0 0; Rivera 1 0-2 3; Cornish 8 2-4 21; Dunn 4 0-0 12; Claiborne 3 1-2 10; Alvarado 0 0-0 0; Thompson 1 2-2 5; Rice 3 0-3 7; Totals: 23 8-17 67.
McLennan: Dillon Gooding 2 1-2 6; Amani Harris 1 1-3 3; Maurice Harvey 3 4-4 10; Nehemiah Nuckolls 7 1-2 15; Chris Pryor 6 0-0 13; Rayquan Brown 3 0-0 6; Diego Gonzalez 1 2-2 4; Asare Otchere 2 0-0 4; Ja'Kyrie Robinson 5 1-3 14; Kirk Smith Jr. 6 1-2 13; Sudi McElroy 0 0-0 0; Totals: 36 11-17 88.
3-pointers: Texas Christian 13 (Dunn 4, Cornish 3, Claiborne 3, Rivera 1, Thompson 1, Rice 1), McLennan 5 (Robinson 2, Pryor 1, Gooding 1); Total fouls: Texas Christian 14, McLennan 16; Halftime score: McLennan 44, Texas Christian 29; Record: McLennan 4-0.
