Odessa, TX – After battling through a first quarter that was separated by just a two-point difference, the Panthers picked up the tempo. The Mojo Machine rolled over Midland High the remainder of the game en route to a 74-48 District 2-6A victory on Tuesday night at the Permian Fieldhouse.
Any time you can pick up a district win in 2-6A, it is always a good thing. Head coach Steven Flores can attest to that. “I thought the kids executed the game plan overall”, he said after the contest. “Our guys played hard and we finished the game well. We just need to keep improving each game.”
Sophomore guards Jamibrione Anderson and Ben Saldivar led all scorers with 16 and 15 points, respectively. A total of four Panthers posted double-digit scoring as the Black Cats recorded the first district win of 2022. Brian Huitron added another 14 points while Race Herr finished with 11.
Midland High came out strong and kept the game even through the first five minutes of the opening frame. A four-point run gave the Bulldogs a 10-7 advantage. After an exchange of baskets, Permian answered with a bucket by Saldivar and a trey from Herr to give the Panthers a 15-13 lead to close out the first quarter. It would be a lead Mojo would not relinquish the remainder of the night.
Calvione Calicutt donated a pair of baskets, Huitron added two three-balls, and Anderson dropped another seven points in the second period to push the Permian lead to 32-20 at intermission. The Bulldogs body language began to show signs that the Mojo Machine had wore them down and was taking control of the ballgame.
After a somewhat quiet third stanza, the Panthers had extended their lead to 51-32. Midland High made a pair of treys to try to stay in the contest, but Saldivar added another seven in the period as the Machine led by 19 as the game headed for the final eight minutes.
Perimeter three’s rained down in the fourth quarter as Permian put on a clinic. Huitron knocked down two more treys, with Herr and Anderson each dropping their own to post a 23-point final period. The senior forward recorded four three’s in the 74-48 district win over the Bulldogs.
The Panthers (1-1, 16-5) will travel into the Concho Valley on Friday to take on the Central Bobcats (1-1, 15-6) in San Angelo. The Mojo junior varsity, 70-63 winners over the Bulldogs in the early game, will play at 6:00 p.m., while the varsity will follow at 7:30 p.m.
| BY QUARTER | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Midland |
13 | 07 | 12 | 16 | 48 |
| Permian |
15 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 74 |
Fouls: Midland – 13 / Permian – 12
FT’s: Mid – 4 of 11 (36%) / Per – 4 of 6 (67%)
INDIVIDUAL
Midland
Robinson 7 0-0 14, Puentes 4 1-1 11, Bracken 2 0-0 5, Salcedo 2 0-0 5, Pinson 1 1-2 4, Childress 2 0-0 4, Rickett 1 0-2 3, Mosely 0 1-4 1, White 0 1-2 1
Permian
Anderson 7 0-0 16, Saldivar 7 0-0 15, Huitron 5 0-0 14, Herr 3 2-2 11, Callicutt 4 1-2 9, T Baty 1 0-0 2, McCoy 1 0-0 2, Moses 1 0-0 2, Aguilar 1 0-0 2, Leija 0 1-2 1
3-POINTERS
Midland: 6 (Puentes 2, Bracken 1, Pinson 1, Rickett 1, Salcedo 1)
Permian: 10 (Huitron 4, Herr 3, Anderson 2, Saldivar 1)