MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Howard runs away to victory

The Western Junior College Athletic Conference season has become one of missed opportunities for the Odessa College men’s basketball team. Monday offered yet another installment.

The Wranglers battled back from a 13-point deficit to regain the lead with a little more than seven minutes to play and then squandered it. Howard College pulled out a 69-59 win at the Odessa College Sports Center thanks to a 20-8 run to close the game.

“We should have won that won,” Odessa College sophomore Derrick Barden said.

PHOTO GALLERY: Odessa College vs. Howard College

The loss dropped the Wranglers to 1-5 on the year against the three teams in front of them in the league standings — South Plains College, Howard College and New Mexico Junior College. Odessa College (21-6 overall, 6-5 WJCAC) was within three points of South Plains College with about two minutes to play in their first meeting. Wranglers coach Dennis Helms said his team was a foul away from beating New Mexico Junior College on Thursday.

Barden scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half and teammate Matthew Hunter added nine points after the break. Jalondre McClanahan chipped in five points after the half. And that was it. No one else scored for Odessa College in the final 20 minutes.

Thanks to Barden’s strong play on the offensive end, the Wranglers overcame a miserable start and took a lead midway through the second half. His basket on a busted play gave Odessa College its first lead, 46-45, with 9:30 to play. When Barden added a putback basket at the 7:10 mark, the Wranglers led 51-49.

Jacob Thomas, who finished with 14 points, got the closing run started for the Hawks (20-5, 9-2). He drew a pair of fouls on Kewyn Blain and converted them into five points. First he converted a 3-point play and then he made both ends of a one-and-one. His points were sandwiched around a 3-pointer from the corner by Shavon Coleman.

“The 3-point play we gave up middle and didn’t help from the top,” Helms said. “We could have helped, which would have helped us. That hurt us. Next possession, they drive the baseline and we don’t rotate. We either don’t put a good trap when he goes baseline or don’t rotate and then the guy gets a 3.”

Help defense was a problem for the Wranglers all night.

“Maybe it was mental toughness,” said Blain, tapping his temple. “They forget to help on defense. We’ve got to work on that in practice.”

In a reversal of the first meeting of the season, Odessa College stumbled out of the gate against Howard College. The Wranglers fell behind 17-4 early and trailed 34-29 at the half.

Coleman did much of the damage for the Hawks in the first 20 minutes, scoring 14 points. He finished with a team-high 19.

>> Follow Ryan Nilsson on Twitter at @OARyanNilsson

>> Howard College 69, Odessa College 59

HOWARD COLLEGE (20-5 overall, 9-2 WJCAC)

Jerry Dixon 4 2-2 11, Leon Cooper 1 1-1 3, Rico Richardson 2 2-3 7, Jacob Thomas 4 5-5 14, Calvin Godfrey 1 4-4 6, Phillip Miller 1 2-3 5, Shavon Coleman 8 1-3 19, Damion McGee 0 0-0 0, Marsalis Stewart 0 0-1 0, Chad Posthumus 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 17-22 69.

ODESSA COLLEGE (21-6, 6-5)

Jaamon Echols 1 2-4 5, Derrick Barden 9 2-2 22, Jalondre McClanahan 1 3-6 5, Deonnte Breedlove 0 0-0 0, Kewyn Blain 2 0-0 4, Brandon Williams 2 1-2 5, Damal Donaldson 0 0-0 0, Matthew Hunter 5 6-10 18, Daniel Hield 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 14-24 59.

Halftime — Howard College 34, Odessa College 29. 3-Point goals — Howard College 6 (Dixon 1, Richardson 1, Thomas 1, Miller 1, Coleman 2), Odessa College 5 (Echols 1, Barden 2, Hunter 2). Total fouls — Howard College 17, Odessa College 17. Technical fouls — Howard College: bench.