The crosstown rivalry game between the Odessa High and Permian boys basketball teams came down to the wire.
With the score tied and less than two seconds remaining in regulation, Odessa High’s Ivan Carreon finished a putback attempt to seal a 61-59 victory for the Bronchos in District 2-6A play Tuesday at the Permian Fieldhouse.
“A lot of these kids played together and played against each other growing up their whole lives,” Odessa High head coach Neal Welch said. “There’s just a little more meaning to this game than there is other games.
“It was just a big win for us, what a heck of a play by Ivan, he always stays with the play.”
Welch said it felt like the ball hung up on the backboard forever before dropping in.
The Bronchos and Panthers were in a tight, back-and-forth affair from the start of their district opener as neither team could find separation in the lead.
Odessa High held a three-point advantage at the end of the first quarter, but the Panthers always found ways to stay in it.
Race Herr made sure Permian didn’t fall too far behind by converting a 3-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer, cutting a Broncho lead to 36-33.
Permian head coach Steven Flores said he focused with his team on fixing their transition defense at the intermission.
Flores saw improvement throughout the second half.
“One thing about these kids is they’re going to fight, especially when the game is on the line,” Flores said. “Everyone hates losing, but I’m proud of their effort, we just came up short with the rebound where we could have sent it into overtime.”
The Panthers (11-3 overall, 0-1 District 2-6A) were able to swing the momentum in their favor late in the game, with Cedric Baty connecting on late 3-pointers.
One of those tied the game, 59-59, before Carreon’s final effort to seal the victory.
The Bronchos (14-3, 1-0) were led by Coco Rose’s 25 points, while Baty recorded 15 points for the Panthers.
Flores said his players will learn from the close loss to keep building for the rest of the season.
“At the end of the day, we can all learn from it,” Flores said. “We watch film, they watch film, we can look and see our mistakes and that’s how we’re going to learn from this game.”
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Odessa High 61, Permian 59
Tuesday, Permian Fieldhouse
Odessa High (14-3, 1-0)
Coco Rose 8 7-7 25, Caleb Ramirez 3 3-3 11, Adrian Muzquiz 1 0-0 2, Jaylen McCowan 1 2-2 5, Ivan Carreon 5 0-0 10, Austin Marquez 0 0-0 0, LJ Willis 3 0-0 8, Christian Contee 0 0-0 0, Jordan Bruner 0 0-0 0, Richie Aguilar 0 0-0 0, Joshua Austin 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 12-12 61.
Permian (11-3, 0-1)
Cedric Baty 5 2-2 15, Tremayne Baty 7 1-1 15, Ben Saldivar 3 0-0 7, Calvione Callicutt 3 0-1 6, Elijah Minjarez 0 0-0 0, Riyale Moses 0 0-0 0, Rodney Hall 1 0-0 2, Joe Aguilar 0 0-0 0, Jamobrione Anderson 0 2-4 2, Zech Leija 0 0-0 0, Brian Huitron 0 0-0 0, Race Herr 4 1-2 12. Totals 23 6-10 59.
Odessa High……….. 18.. 18 10 15 — 61
Permian……………… 15.. 18 11 15 — 59
3-Point goals — Odessa High 7 (Rose 2, Ramirez 2, McCowan 1, Willis 2), Permian 7 (C. Baty 3, Saldivar 1, Herr 3). Total fouls — Odessa High 14, Permian 12. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — Odessa High (Willis). JV — Permian 71, Odessa High 55.
