HIGHLAND, Kan. - In a feisty back-and-forth battle that occasionally bordered on fiery, Highland Community College (6-3) surged at the right time, earning an 87-80 win over Southeast Community College (2-6) on Wednesday night. Rashad Kee led all scorers in the contest with 24 points and Justin Burns turned in a double-double with 12 pts and 12 rebounds.

Highland opened the scoring but ran up against an early hot-shooting Bobcat squad, as Southeast knocked down three triples in the opening five minutes to take 12-9 lead.

Back-to-back layups by Kee bookending a pair of misses for Southeast put Highland back in front and the teams split a tug-of-war over the opening 20 minutes ending in a 41-41 halftime tie. Neither team was able to open beyond a two-possession lead, with Highland leading 24-20 at the 8:43 mark and SCC answering with a 10-0 run to lead by six just under the six-minute mark.

The Scotties had the hot hand coming out of the locker room, building a quick 50-43 lead in just over two minutes.

After an early timeout, Southeast managed to pull itself back into the contest, eventually battling back for a 67-62 lead with 8:47 to play. Viktar Kachalouski forced a turnover and dropped in a fastbreak layup to give the Bobcats a five-point cushion.

With just over five minutes left, another Kachalouski layup restored SCC's five-point cushion at 71-66, but the lead would be short-lived.

After a block from Justin Burns with 4:41 to play, Kee drew a foul and knocked down a pair of free throws. Pesky defense forced a SCC turnover on the ensuing possession, allowing Brown to find Kee open for a triple. Tavian Tate knocked down a second chance basket to grab a 73-71 lead for Highland with 3:28 left and the Scotties tenaciously held on.

Over the next two minutes, Highland knocked down eight straight free throws and picked up a pair of defensive stops to extend to an 81-72 lead with just over a minute to play.

PJ Newbill tried to give Southeast one last chance, hitting a three-pointer with 54 seconds left, but Highland sealed the win with an offensive rebound on a missed second free throw, as Tavian Tate knocked down two freebies to make it a three-possession game with 30 seconds to go.

Highland is off over the weekend, returning to host Iowa Western Community College in a Thanksgiving Day appetizer. The Scotties tip off against the Reivers in the second half of a doubleheader next Tuesday, slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.