The Permian boys basketball team, after a slow start, was able to get things going with quick scoring bursts to defeat Midland High 74-48 in District 2-6A play Tuesday at the Permian Fieldhouse.
Jamobrione Anderson’s 16 points led the Panthers, who had four players in double figures.
“We usually feed off our defense, but I will say today we finally started making some shots and picked up our intensity and our tempo a little bit in the game and pulled away,” Permian coach Steven Flores said.
Although the Panthers built an early lead, things started shifting when the Bulldogs took control of the game’s pace halfway through the first quarter.
Midland High took advantage of a temporary slowdown from Permian to take a 10-7 lead when Jalen Bracken converted a midrange jump shot that banked in off the backboard.
A quick basket from Ben Saldivar was followed up by a 3-pointer from Race Herr and the Panthers jumped back in front to end the first quarter on top.
Permian increased the tempo in the second quarter and made the most of multiple fast break opportunities, with some of those chances setting Anderson up to score seven points in the period.
Brian Huitron made sure Permian took the momentum into the halftime break, scoring consecutive 3-pointers before the buzzer sounded.
The Bulldogs tried to claw back into the game after the break, but it didn’t take Permian long to regain control.
Saldivar helped the Panthers kick up the pace as the clock wound down in the third period, scoring seven straight points after working hard on the defensive end.
He said he maintained his energy through the game by feeding off his teammates during timeouts.
“I get it from my teammates really, they’re just hyping me up when we call timeouts on the bench,” Saldivar said. “It gets me down in my stance.”
Permian closed out the game on a strong note, scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter, securing its first district win of the season.
Flores said it felt good to see his players keep their foot on the gas pedal, especially as the game entered its later stages.
“We wanted to send a message to people to let them know that we’re still Permian and that we’re still the premier team in West Texas,” Flores said.
The Panthers (16-5 overall, 1-1 district) will next face San Angelo Central at 7:30 p.m. Friday in San Angelo.
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
Permian 74, Midland High 48
Tuesday, Permian Fieldhouse
MIDLAND HIGH (8-11, 0-2)
London Rickett 1 0-2 3, D’Marion White 0 1-2 1, Santiago Salcedo 2 0-0 5, Brenden Pelletier 0 0-0 0, Jalen Bracken 2 0-0 5, Kaden Childress 2 0-0 4, David Campo 0 0-0 0, Kelbi Franklin 0 0-0 0, Andrew Pinson 1 1-2 4, Davion Mosely 0 1-4 1, Jaime Puentes 4 1-1 11, Jason Robinson 7 0-0 14, Thombias Moy 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 4-11 48.
PERMIAN (16-5, 1-1)
Tremayne Baty 1 0-0 2, Ben Saldivar 7 0-0 15, Corey McCoy 1 0-0 2, Calvione Callicutt 4 1-2 9, Ryale Moses 1 0-0 2, Rodney Hall 0 0-0 0, Joe Aguilar 1 0-0 2, Zech Leija 0 1-2 1, Brian Huitron 5 0-0 14, Race Herr 3 2-2 11, Jamobrione Anderson 7 0-0 16. Totals 30 4-6 74.
MIDLAND HIGH……. 13…. 7 12 16 — 48
PERMIAN…………….. 15.. 17 19 23 — 74
3-Point goals — Permian 10 (Saldivar 1, Huitron 4, Herr 3, Anderson 2) Midland High 6 (Rickett 1, Salcedo 1, Bracken 1, Pinson 1, Puentes 2) . Total fouls — Permian 12, Midland High 13. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None. JV — Permian 70, Midland High 63.
