The Permian Lady Panthers made the Amarillo Tascosa Lady Rebels work for everything they got Friday, but in the end Tascosa’s height and depth produced enough to take a 47-27 victory in District 2-6A girls basketball action at the Permian Fieldhouse.

Klarrissa Cruz led Permian with eight points, Alexis Contee added seven and Alena Madero and Ashton Garner contributed five apiece as the Lady Panthers hit the midway point of the district schedule at 11-13 overall, 1-4 against 2-6A competition.

“We just went out and played how we’re capable of playing and didn’t let up,” Permian coach Angela Braziel-Smith said. “We made them work for everything. We were outhustling and doing the little things. Unfortunately, it didn’t come out in our favor, but at the end of the day I can’t complain.”

Tascosa (17-10, 4-1) remained in a three-way tie for the district lead with Midland High and Wolfforth Frenship. All three team won by at least 20 points Friday.

Ka’Lia Smith led the Lady Rebels with 16 points and 20 rebounds, while Tayjanna McGee added 10 points. Braziel-Smith said facing a Division I-caliber talent like Smith was a particular challenge for the Lady Panthers.

“She’s going to get hers, but I think we maintained against her, just held any way we could,” Braziel-Smith said. “She’s a phenomenal athlete, so we just played to the best of our abilities.”

Tascosa coach Betsy Baughman said Permian took the Lady Rebels out of their comfort zone in a way few other teams have this season.

“I have to give a lot of credit to Coach Braziel and her team because they played a heck of a game,” Baughman said. “Their defense was outstanding and that really hurt us. We had to make some adjustments and we resisted making those adjustments early because we hadn’t had to make them a whole lot.

“It really challenges us and I think we got a lot better tonight because (Permian) did a really good job. She’s getting them going pretty good. I’m really impressed with their inside, with their rebounding. Their guards are really hard workers. They’re much better ballhandlers and decision makers than they were a year ago. I think it was a really good team that we played against.”

Tasia Gilbreath hit Tascosa’s only 3-pointer just 10 seconds after the opening tip to put the Lady Rebels ahead to stay. Tascosa built an 11-3 lead in the opening period, but Permian kept the Lady Rebels from getting any more separation and trailed 18-11 at halftime. Tascosa wore the Lady Panthers down over the final 16 minutes, increasing the lead to 16 points by the end of the third quarter. The Lady Rebels led by as much as 22 in the final minutes of the game.

Permian opens the second half of the district schedule at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Midland Lee at the Chaparral Center. The Lady Panthers trail the Lady Rebels by a game for fourth place in the 2-6A standings. A win would put them in a tie and give them a split of the season series. Midland Lee won the first meeting 42-41 at Permian on Jan. 5.

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Amarillo Tascosa 47, Permian 27

AMARILLO TASCOSA (17-10, 4-1)

Tasia Gilbreath 3 0-0 7, Rylee Zimmer 0 2-4 2, Jessalyn Gonzales 0 0-0 0, Aubry Nash 0 0-0 0, Ka’Lia Smith 6 4-5 16, Alexis Wall 0 0-0 0, Jada Miller 1 0-0 2, Tayjanna McGhee 5 0-0 10, Alexis Romero 1 5-6 7, Cenedee Valdez 1 1-2 3. Totals 17 12-17 47.

PERMIAN (11-13, 1-4)

Klarrissa Cruz 4 0-0 8, Artashia Armendariz 0 0-0 0, Alena Madero 2 1-2 5, Ashton Garner 2 0-0 5, Alexis Contee 2 2-6 7, Jasmine Gadson 0 0-0 0, Reyna Rayos 0 0-0 0, Natalie Baeza 1 0-0 2, Rosie Crawford 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 3-8 27.

Tascosa……………… 11…. 7   16   13   —    47

Permian……………….. 3…. 8     7     9   —    27

3-Point goals — Tascosa 1 (Gilbreath 1), Permian 2 (Garner 1, Contee 1). Total fouls — Tascosa 11, Permian 13. Fouled out — none. Technical fouls — none.

District 2-6A Standings

 

Overall

 

District

 

Team

W

L

W

L

Amarillo Tascosa

17

10

4

1

Wolfforth_Frenship

22

7

4

1

Midland High

20

10

4

1

Midland Lee

13

14

2

3

Permian

11

13

1

4

Odessa High

5

21

0

5

Friday, Jan. 19

Midland High 56, Odessa High 30

Amarillo Tascosa 47, Permian 27

Wolfforth Frenship 54, Midland Lee 33

Tuesday, Jan. 23

Amarillo Tascosa at Odessa High, 6 p.m.

Permian at Midland Lee, 6 p.m.

Midland High at Wolfforth Frenship,  6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 26

Wolfforth Frenship at Odessa High, 6 p.m.

Permian at Midland High, 6 p.m.

Midland Lee at Amarillo Tascosa, 6 p.m.