“Knocking off the rust” were Angelina College head coach Todd Neighbors’ words and goals prior to Wednesday’s game against the No. 12-ranked McLennan Highlanders. With the Roadrunners having spent the past three weeks in holiday mode, the coach needed the contest to gauge his team’s readiness for the upcoming conference grind.
Against the Highlanders, the ‘Runners showed they’re not yet rust-proof.
Despite a pair of scoring runs and a 21-point, 18-rebound night from Gary Blackston, the Highlanders held off AC 89-80 at Shands Gymnasium.
AC managed several rallies after falling behind 10-0 to open the game. The Roadrunners regrouped in time to take a 36-33 lead just before half time. The ‘Runners extended their lead to nine points early in the second half, only to see the Highlanders explode for a 30-7 run to take a 14-point lead with 9:17 to play. Three straight three pointers from Corinthian Ramsey, followed by a trey from Blackston, cut the McLennan lead to nine points, but the Highlanders hit their free throws in the final minute to clinch the win.
Ramsey finished with 27 points, including an 11-for-14 effort from the free-throw line. Kahari Beaufort added 15 points, but Blackston, Ramsey and Beaufort were the only Roadrunners to reach double figures on a night when the team shot an overall 34 percent from the floor.
Zach Charles (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Aundre Jackson (17 points, 10 rebounds) each notched double-doubles for the Highlanders. Jerami Grace finished with 18 points.
The Roadrunners (9-5, 2-2) resume conference play on Saturday, with a home game against Tyler College scheduled for 4 p.m. Live streaming is available by logging onto roadrunnerslive.com.
The e-mail address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
