Odessa College’s Tommie Sykes, right, tries to stop a dunk for Western Texas’ Tyrone Fleming during the first half of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference game Monday night. The Wranglers won 73-63. (Kevin Buehler / Odessa American)

College basketball: OC grinds out win to extend streak to nine

January 28, 2008 11:38 PM

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BY SAM WALLER

The Odessa College Wranglers have had smoother performances during their run to the top of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference.

No. 15 OC had to grind away Monday before finally subduing the Western Texas Westerners 73-63 at the OC Sports Center to push its winning streak to nine games, to secure its second consecutive 20-win season, and to have at least a share of the conference lead as the league schedule hit the midway point.

�We grinded it out, and sometimes you’ve got to do that,� OC coach Dennis Helms said. �These games here have been of a spectacular variety with Midland and South Plains.�

Both of those OC opponents were ranked in the top five when the Wranglers beat them on consecutive Mondays earlier this month.

�Then you’ve got one of these games where you don’t feel you’ve got to go as hard as you did against Midland and South Plains,� Helms said. �We found out at halftime that was good for a one-point deficit (25-24), but we came out the second half. We grinded it out, and it was an important win.�

Odessa College (20-2 overall, 7-1 conference) starts the second round of conference play Thursday at New Mexico Junior College.

Odessa High graduate Jamel Guyton scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half when OC finally found an offensive rhythm. Delrico Lane and Carlos Rodriguez each had 12 points.

Only Rodriguez was able to do much in the first half, leading OC at the break with six points.

Freshman Tommie Sykes, who has been battling a sprained ankle the past two weeks, said it was just a tough night.

�I haven’t been practicing good (since the injury),� said Sykes, who had seven points and four rebounds. �I’ve been practicing all right — I’m still hurt — but I don’t blame that for me playing bad. I blame myself. I need to work harder. I had a bad first half any way. I think was a little shook up because I saw my (high school) coach in the crowd. I wasn’t even thinking, and he came up and talked to me. I just wasn’t focused.�

Western Texas (13-8, 3-5) was able to control the pace in the first half before Devon McLendon gave OC its first lead of the game at 33-31 on a driving layup with 17:41 to go. The Westerners tied it on the next trip down, but Guyton responded with a 3-pointer to put the Wranglers in front to stay with 17 minutes left.

Western Texas’ Derek Williams scored 27 points, going 11-of-12 at the line. Wayne Burton had 12 points and seven rebounds, while Tyrone Fleming finished with 10 points.

Western Texas led almost the entire first half, pulling back ahead three times after OC pulled even. The Westerners ran off eight consecutive points, getting a pair of 3-pointers from Williams, to take a 20-11 lead with eight minutes left in the half.

Odessa College responded with the next nine points, tying it at 20 on Rodriguez’s layup with 3:57 to go, but that was the Wranglers’ last field goal of the half.

OC had a chance to take the lead into the half, but Guyton’s 8-footer from the right baseline rimmed out at the buzzer.

No. 15 Odessa College 73, Western Texas College 63

WESTERN TEXAS COLLEGE (13-8, 3-5)

Derek Williams 7-15 11-12 27, Rasheem Jenkins 1-3 0-0 2, Tyler Rushing 2-6 0-0 4, Wayne Burton 5-6 2-3 12, Tyrone Fleming 4-8 2-2 10, Chris Ajayi 1-3 0-0 2, Braw-ley Chisholm 0-3 0-0 0, Nydrle Evans 0-1 0-0 0, Andy Sohlich 0-1 0-0 0, DeRon Anderson 2-4 0-0 5, Lance Green 0-0 0-2 0, Damien Lewis 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 22-50 16-21 63.

ODESSA COLLEGE (20-2, 7-1)

Jamel Guyton 6-16 5-5 20, Jesse Joseph 1-3 2-2 4, Delrico Lane 4-8 4-6 12, Tommie Sykes 1-4 5-5 7, Carlos Rodriguez 5-6 1-2 12, Devon McLendon 3-11 3-4 9, Damien Williams 2-3 2-2 6, Jerel Blocker 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 23-54 21-26 73.

Halftime - Western Texas College 25, Odessa College 24. 3-Point goals - WTC 3-20 (De.Williams 2-7, Jenkins 0-2, Rushing 0-3, Ajayi 0-2, Chisholm 0-3, Sohlich 0-1, Anderson 1-2), OC 6-19 (Guyton 3-9, Lane 0-1, Sykes 0-1, Rodriguez 1-1, McLendon 1-4, Blocker 1-3). Total fouls - WTC 25, OC 21. Fouled out - none. Technical fouls - WTC bench. Rebounds - WTC 34 (Burton 7), OC 33 (McLendon 7). Assists - WTC 8 (De.Williams 2, Ajayi 2, Chisholm 2), OC 11 (Lane 4).

WJCAC Men

Overall Conf.

Odessa College 20-2 7-1

South Plains 18-1 6-1

Howard 15-4 6-2

Midland College 20-2 6-2

Frank Phillips 14-9 3-5

New Mexico JC 10-10 3-4

Western Texas 13-8 3-5

Clarendon 9-11 0-7

New Mexico Military 4-15 0-7

Thursday, Jan. 24