The Central Community College men's basketball team lost to Highland Community College, 91-82, in opening round action of the Holiday Classic in Beatrice.

The Scotties set the tone with a 13-4 run to open the first five minutes of the game. The Raiders responded by pulling to with a 30-21 deficit with five minutes to play in the first half. However, Highland went to the locker room with a 44-26 lead on the strength of a 14-5 run.

CCC got a hot start in the second half with a 15-4 run to trail HCC by seven, 48-41. The Scotties then built a 22-point lead, the game's largest, with a 19-4 run for a 67-45 advantage. The Raiders reacted with nearly the same run as they rattled off a 19-3 burst to pull to within six points, 70-64. However, that's as close as it got.

CCC sported five players in double figures with Jaxon Simons leading the charge with 17 points.

The win gives the Raiders a 6-8 mark heading in to Saturday's second-round action of the Holiday Classic. CCC will take on Fort Scott Community College at 2 p.m.