Odessa, TX – Over this past decade, Permian has made an astounding achievement of appearing in the Texas Class 6A state basketball playoffs in all ten seasons. The Panthers claimed eight Bi-District victories during that span. Tuesday will usher in the beginning of another post-season playoff run.
Permian and El Paso Franklin have met a total of five times, with the Black Cats winning three of those contests. The two Cougar wins came from non-district meetings early in the season. Franklin won for the first time last year in a close game (63-61) in El Paso. The second win came earlier this season in a 66-55 decision.
In the Panthers’ home opener, the Cougars buffered a seven-point advantage and led 12-2 at one point in the first period. Santiago Gaytan led Franklin’s attack with 21 points to his credit. Permian fought back and matched the scoring in the second frame to trail 33-26 at the intermission. The Black Cats cut the deficit down to five in the third quarter but Franklin pushed the difference to 11 by game’s end.
Keys to a Mojo victory… Start Strong, Finish Strong. The Panthers cannot let the Cougars jump out to a double-digit lead. This means limiting offensive turnovers and arid shots. On the other end of the court, Permian will need to do a better job contesting shots. On several occasions, the Black Cats were guilty of being too slow getting back on defense and struggled keeping Franklin out of the paint. The Cougars are not a heavy 3-point shooting team.
The Mojo Machine will need to keep power forwards Gaytan (6-6, 210) and Hayden Brack (6-4, 195) in check. Both are agile and have led Franklin in scoring this season. Brack also leads the Cougars in steals and rebounds. In his aggressive play, Gaytan leads the team in fouls.
Point guards Tanner Jones (5-10, 150) and Dawson Jones (5-11, 155) handle moving the ball around, but sophomore Saul Samaniego (5-10, 150) has been navigating the offense as of late and leads in assists. Tanner leads the team in free throws, both in points and percentage. Dawson has been the top 3-point shooter. The Cougars will occasionally utilize Rafael Ramos (6-0, 170) to leak out into the perimeter on offense.
Franklin plays a lot of man defense, and they’ll need it as Permian has outscored the Cougars this season. The Mojo Machine averages 65 points a game to Franklin’s 51. The Black Cats have an 8-2 record at home, while the Cougars are 4-6 on opponent courts. Both teams played El Paso Bowie earlier this season. The Panthers defeated the Bears 77-47, and the Cougars handed them a 62-27 loss.
Unlike the non-district contests, Permian has enjoyed a much better outcome against Franklin in the post-season… winning all three of those playoff games. In the pair’s first meeting, the Mojo Machine claimed a 66-54 decision in the Bi-District Round in 2013. The Black Cats claimed playoff victories over the Cougars again in 2022 (47-35) and 2023 (66-48).
In Franklin’s absence, El Paso Montwood got destroyed by the Panthers (66-37) in Bi-District last year. Two years ago, Permian lost in overtime 49-43 to El Paso Eastwood in the post-season. The Mojo Machine has rolled past its Bi-District opponents eight of the last nine years.
| :: MOJO BI-DISTRICT, LAST DECADE :: | ||
| 2017 | vs EP Coronado | W 54-42 |
| 2018 | vs EP Coronado | W 52-38 |
| 2019 | vs EP Socorro | W 55-37 |
| 2020 | vs EP Socorro | W 75-40 |
| 2021 | vs EP Eastlake | W 71-58 |
| 2022 | vs EP Franklin* | W 47-35 |
| 2023 | vs EP Franklin* | W 66-48 |
| 2024 | vs EP Eastwood | L 49-43 OT |
| 2025 | vs EP Montwood | W 66-37 |
| 2026 | vs EP Franklin* | – |
The Panthers will host the Cougars at the Permian Fieldhouse on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. The winner will advance to the Area Round of the Class 6A Div I state playoffs to play either V.R. Eaton or Mansfield Lake Ridge. The game will not be streamed live, so updates will be limited to @PermianSports.