MIDLAND Permian boys basketball coach Steven Flores was concerned about Birdville’s height advantage at some positions prior to the teams’ meeting Friday.
The Panthers adapted their defense to negate the disadvantage and it couldn’t have worked out any better.
Creating turnovers in the paint, Permian ran away to a comfortable first-half lead and rolled to an 80-53 victory against the Hawks in a Tall City Oilman’s Invitational contest at Midland College’s Chaparral Center.
Jamibrione Anderson led the Panthers with 22 points, with Elijah Minjarez adding 11 and Race Herr 10 to the victory.
All nine Permian players scored, with the team connected on nine 3-pointers in the game.
That was one of the keys to the victory as the Panthers made eight more from long distance than did Birdville.
“It was a good win,” Flores said. “We knew that we were going to have difficulty with their size down low, so we started right from the beginning in fronting them and letting them know that was how it was going to be.
“We got off to the good start and that’s something that we’ve been talking to them about, starting fast and maintaining that pressure.”
Matthew Zakiria scored a game-high 23 points to lead Birdville, with Clyde Cummings finishing with 16 in the loss.
The teams traded the first few baskets, with Zakiria tying the game (4-4) on a nice reverse layup.
Permian, however, would go on a 9-0 run with Herr, Ben Saldivar, Anderson and Tremayne Baty all scoring before Birdville’s Tasshir Pina-warren stopped the streak.
The Panthers regained control and moved to a 19-14 lead after the first quarter, but the Hawks quickly climbed back into the game.
A quick 6-2 run pulled Birdville within one point (21-20), but that was as close as the Hawks would get the rest of the way.
Saldivar hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to jumpstart a 21-2 run that resulted in the Panthers holding a 42-22 lead at halftime.
Minjarez had six points in the run on a pair of 3-pointers, with Anderson and Herr each chipping in five before halftime.
It was more of the same after the break, with the Panthers using their defense to create offensive opportunities, including several fast break layups.
Permian was back on the court two hours after its victory to face Lubbock Monterey, with the Plainsmen holding on for a 62-59 victory after the Panthers struggled from the field in the second and third quarters.
The Panthers are now 8-4 and will face El Paso Burges at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Chaparral Center to close out their weekend.
>> Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide
Permian 80, Birdville 53
Friday, Chaparral Center, Midland
BIRDVILLE
Trent Bowers 2 0-0 4, Gehrig Normand 0 0-0 0, Tasshir Pina-warren 2 0-0 5, Driver 2 0-1 4, Carson Parr 1 0-0 2, Gabe Winans 0 0-0 0, Matthew Zakaria 10 3-4 23, Clyde Cummings 6 3-4 15. Totals 23 6-9 53.
PERMIAN (8-3)
Ryale Roses 2 0-0 4, Ben Saldivar 4 0-0 9, Esai Deleon 3 1-1 8, Jamibrione Anderson 8 4-5 22, Tremayne Baty 4 0-0 8, Vari Beck 2 2-3 6, Elijah Minjarez 4 0-0 11, Evan Garrett 1 0-0 2, Race Herr 4-0-0 10. Totals 32 7-9 80.
Birdville………………. 14 — 8 — 13 — 18 — 53
Permian……………….19 — 23— 18 — 20 — 80
3-Point goals — Birdville 1 (Pina-warren 1), Permian 9 (Saldivar 1, Deleon 1, Anderson 2, Minjarez 3, Herr 2). Total fouls — Bir dville 10, Permian 12 Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None.
Lubbock Monterey 62, Permian 59
Friday, Chaparral Center, Midland
PERMIAN (8-4)
Tabarie Jones 0 0-0 0, Ben Saldivar 5 0-0 11, Easi Deleon 0 0-0 0, Jamibrione Anderson 5 2-6 13, Tremayne Baty 2 0-0 4, Vari Beck 5 0-0 11, Elijah Minjarez 1 0-0 3, Evan Garrett 1 0-0 2, Race Herr 6 1-2 15. Totals 25 3-8 59.
LUBBOCK MONTEREY
Azijon Luke 5 0-1 13, Zyrian Brantley 9 4-6 22, Brandon Infante 2 0-0 4, Will Collier 1 0-0 3, Kash Lewis 2 0-1 4, Takeo Young 3 3-4 10, Carter Bovkoon 2 2-2 6. Totals 24 9-14 62.
Permian………………. 24 — 8 —11 —16 — 59
Lubbock Monterey……………….20 — 17—17 —8 — 62
3-Point goals — Permian 6 (Saldivar 1, Anderson 1, Beck 1, Minjarez 1, Herr 2), Lubbock Monterey 5 (Luke 3, Collins 1, Young 1). Total fouls — Permian 14, Lubbock Monterey 9. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None.
