The Odessa College men’s basketball team has taken the best its opponents have all season.
Ranked no lower than sixth in the country from the outset of the 2022-23 campaign, the Wranglers had to find ways to win, even when their “A” game wasn’t on display.
The regular-season finale against Howard College was a case in point.
Taking control of the game early in the first half, a weary Odessa College lineup struggled to find a way to pull away and, at one point in the second half, trailed the visiting Hawks.
That seemed to fuel the Wranglers’ competitive fire as they responded to the challenge and did just enough to earn a 90-85 victory in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play at the OC Sports Center.
Marcus Banks had 14 points to lead the third-ranked Wranglers (28-2 overall, 15-1 in WJCAC).
Dian Wright-Forde added 13, Dontrell Hewlett finished with 11 and Kiree Huie chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds to the victory.
“They’re tired,” Odessa College head coach Kris Baumann said of his players. “They’ve had to work hard every night and they used up a lot of energy on Monday against South Plains, being in that whole atmosphere.
“They found a way to win, but we’ll work on finishing games in practice and get ready for the tournament.”
Odessa College has won the last three WJCAC regular-season titles, going a combined 46-2 during that span.
They Wranglers will be the top seed from the West at the NJCAA Region 5 Tournament that begins Wednesday at the Tiger Pit at Wolfforth Frenship High School.
Lorenzo Fort scored a game-high 41 points to lead the Hawks (19-11, 9-7), the second time this season he has scored 41 against Odessa College.
Deng Mayar had 14 points, Dontae Horne added 13 and Kwo Agwa finished with 11 in the loss.
Fort scored 11 points in the final two minutes of the game, including nine on a trio of 3-pointers in the final minute.
On each one of those long-distance shots, he tried to draw contact from the Wranglers for possible four-point plays, but the Odessa College players didn’t bite.
“That was good to see,” Baumann said of the Wranglers’ defensive discipline at the end of the game. “He’s was making everything and trying to get to the (free throw) line.”
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No. 3 Odessa College 90, Howard College 85
Thursday, OC Sports Center
HOWARD COLLEGE (19-11 overall, 9-7 WJCAC)
Lorenzo Fort 11-23 14-16 41, Dontae Horne 4-12 3-7 13, Kavion McClaine 2-8 0-0 4, Deng Mayar 5-5 4-6 3, Kwo Agwa 4-8 3-4 11, Josiah Freeman 0-0 0-0 0, Nate Deer 0-0 0-0 0, Javier Gilgeous-Glasgow 1-1 0-0 2, Darrius Davis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-59 24-34 85.
ODESSA COLLEGE (28-2, 15-1)
Dian Wright-Forde 4-4 3-4 13, Dontrell Hewlett 3-8 4-8 11, Kiree Huie 5-8 0-0 10, Marcus Banks 5-6 0-0 14, Chandler Cuthrell 1-4 2-2 4, Anthony Marshall 3-10 2-2-9, Brandon Maclin 2-4 0-0 4, Darrell Armstrong Jr. 2-7 0-0 6, Terry Brown 3-4 0-0 9, Amaon Measho 0-1 0-0 0, Khalil Haywood 1-5 2-2 4, Austin Green 1-3 2-2 4, Jordan Ray 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 31-67 15-20 90.
Halftime — Odessa College 46, Howard College 43. 3-Point goals — Howard College 7-23 (Fort 5-12, Horne 2-7, McClain 0-4), Odessa College 13-32 (Wright-Forde 2-2, Hewlett 1-4, Banks 4-5, Cuthrell 0-3, Marshall 1-5, Maclin 0-1, Armstrong Jr. 2-7, Brown 3-3, Green 0-1, Ray 0-1). Total fouls — Howard College 18, Odessa College 24. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None. Rebounds — Howard College 32 (Fort 7, Mayar 7), Odessa College 46 (Huie 10). Assists — Howard College 8 (Fort 3), Odessa College 16 (Hewlett 5).
