Before closing out its regular season with a loss to Wolfforth Frenship, the Permian basketball team was on a roll.
The Panthers were on a five-game winning streak and made up enough ground in District 2-6A play to work their way up to a tie for second place with Odessa High.
They didn’t get out to the strongest start once district play began, but Permian coach Steven Flores saw his players rally together.
“We were happy we won the five games and we wanted to go undefeated,” Flores said of the second time through the District 2-6A schedule. “The kids were a little hurt in the locker room and you could see so that’s kind of a positive because it means something.”
Flores knows his team needs to pick up the intensity heading into the Class 6A playoffs.
Permian found out where it would start its postseason after ending up on the losing end of a coin flip with Odessa High.
The Panthers will hit the road for their bi-district contest against El Paso Franklin at 7 p.m. Tuesday in El Paso.
This was Flores’ first season leading the Permian program, but he has previous experience with the Panthers in the playoffs as the team’s assistant coach.
He knows his team will face a tough test when it makes the long drive west.
“El Paso is a further drive for us, but we’ve made two and a half hour trips to Abilene, two and a half hour trips to Lubbock all the time,” Flores said. “We got off the bus and played in San Antonio, so at the end of the day it’s not an excuse on the bus trip.
“We just got to be focused and we got to be ready to compete and play hard no matter who we play.”
Flores knew about the level of competition coming out of El Paso’s district, as the Panthers played against El Paso Americas earlier this season.
He described the schools in that area as well-coached and playing a different, fundamental style to what is played in District 2-6A.
Permian does have the positive factor of bringing back players with postseason experience under their belts.
Flores said it’ll be important for players like Calvione Calicutt, Race Herr and Tremayne Baty to step up and lead the team through each round.
After the loss to Wolfforth Frenship, the head coach is concerned about how his team will react stepping into that environment.
“We got three guys with some playoff experience because other guys, they don’t have that experience,” Flores said. “[Tuesday] was a big game and we just did not perform well whatsoever.”
Through the 2021-22 season, the Panthers have seen their young players step forward to make a big impact for their team at different points.
Sometimes it can be Jamobrione Anderson with quick defensive stops and transition baskets, or Ben Saldivar with consistent midrange baskets and ball-handling.
Flores knows his team has options.
“It just can be different guys each night and sometimes that’s a good thing,” Flores said. “They can’t just try to game plan for one guy, even though these teams have game planned for Saldivar in these past couple of games.”
When Flores took over the Permian program, he wanted to maintain the winning culture created by former coach Tim Thomas.
“You just maintain it by working hard and trying to do the right things on and off the court,” Flores said. “Staying disciplined and trying to make the kids compete hard.”
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