It was all No. 8 McLennan from the opening tip in a 69-48 smashing of Baltimore County Essex (Maryland) Knights this afternoon in Lufkin. CCBC Essex came in to the game as the defending NJCAA Division II national champion and ranked No. 4 in the polls.
McLennan's Aniya Williams began the scoring with an offensive rebound and put back. CCBC Essex tied the game with a bucket by Ashley Dickey with 9:20 to go. McLennan responded with a 17-0 run, including three 3-pointers from Saneea Bevley, to break the game open, 19-2. CCBC Essex scored just seven points it the quarter, allowing McLennan to build a 17-point lead, 24-7.
McLennan continued to push in the second quarter. Mersadez Nephew hit a 3-pointer from the elbow early in the frame to make it a 20-point game 27-7. The Knights made a small rally, cutting the lead to 14 at 27-13 with 8:34 to play in the quarter but McLennan pulled away once again. Saneea Bevley sank a basket at the buzzer to make the largest lead of the game, 45-21.
CCBC Essex came out shooting to start the second half, opening the third quarter on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 14 at 45-31. McLennan's shooters went cold and the squad didn't score for more than five minutes. Aysia Ward found the basket for McLennan with 4:50 on the clock. McLennan held the Knights to only four points down the stretch and scored 10 of its own to make it a 57-35 lead heading into the final period.
Already leading by 20, Nephew and Bevley drained back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth to make it 67-41 with five minutes to play. It was smooth sailing from there as McLennan cruised to a 6-1 record.
Saneea Bevley led the McLennan scorers with 33 points. Aniya Williams and Mersadez Nephew scored 12 and 10, respectively. ac
CCBC Essex: Kierran Walker 2 0-0 5; Ore Ogunwolere 1 0-0 3; Adiana Pacheco 0 0-0 0; Tyasia Williams 0 0-0 0; Ashley Dickey 4 9-11 17; Heather Middleton 3 0-0 9; Damoni Tucker 1 0-0 3; Anylah Davis 0 0-0 0; Khalia Bryant 1 0-0 2; Jayla Scott 0 0-0 0; Alana Powell 2 3-4 8; Deborah Okechukwu 0 1-2 1; Veyoni Davis 0 0-0 0; Totals: 14 13-17 48.
McLennan: Aysia Ward 2 0-0 4; Saneea Bevley 12 2-2 33; Alaina Payne 2 0-0 4; Mersadez Nephew 2 0-0 10; Niyah Johnson 1 2-2 4; Aniya Williams 5 2-2 12; Kalisha Phillips 1 0-0 2; Peighton Jambor 0 0-0 0; Totals: 25 6-6 69.
First Quarter score: McLennan 24, CCBC Essex 7; Halftime score: McLennan 45, CCBC Essex 21; Third Quarter score: McLennan 57, CCBC Essex 35; 3-pointers: CCBC Essex 6 (Middleton 3, Walker 1, Ogunwolere 1, Powell 1), McLennan 9 (Bevley 7, Nephew 2); Total fouls: CCBC Essex 13, McLennan 19; Fouled out: Ward (McLennan); Record: McLennan 6-1.
