Permian boys basketball coach Steven Flores, throughout the season, knew that he has a group of players capable of making another deep run in the Class 6A playoffs.
Through all the injuries and roster turnover, the Panthers have competed each night and when the District 2-6A regular season finished Tuesday night, they were in a position to reach the postseason.
There is still a little bit of work yet to be done, however, to reach that goal.
Permian earned an 80-56 victory against Midland Legacy at the Permian Fieldhouse to move into a tie for third in the district standings with Midland High and San Angelo Central.
Three teams still alive with just two spots remaining.
So, the Panthers, Bobcats and Bulldogs will compete in a mini-tournament to finalize the district’s playoff representatives to join Wolfforth Frenship and Odessa High.
Permian and San Angelo Central get things started with a game at 6 p.m. Thursday at Stanton High School.
The winner of that game will face Midland High at 6 p.m. Friday at Stanton.
If the winner of the first game also wins the second game, that school will earn the third seed and the other two schools will play at 1 p.m. Saturday for the final berth.
“We have to be ready to go,” Flores said by phone Wednesday. “We are playing well, gelling at the right time and this is a chance get into the playoffs with some momentum.”
Race Herr scored a game-high 24 points to lead Permian to a comfortable victory against the Rebels.
Ryale Moses added 20 points and Ben Saldivar finished with 18 as the Panthers improved to 18-12 overall, 5-5 in District 2-6A.
“We were able to get everyone involved,” Flores said. “We still made some mistakes turning the ball over, but it was what we needed to be able to have a chance for the playoffs.”
Max Vera had 15 points to lead the Rebels (3-28, 0-10), with Jordan Williams finishing with 14 and Timothy Whitfield 12 in the loss.
Midland Legacy tried to keep it close early, trailing by just four (17-13) after the first quarter and nine (35-26) at halftime.
Permian broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Rebels 25-12 to hold a commanding 60-38 lead after 24 minutes.
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Permian 80, Midland Legacy 56
Tuesday, Permian Fieldhouse
MIDLAND LEGACY (3-28 overall, 0-10 District 2-6A)
Michael Mead 0 0-0 0, Javarious Bell 0 0-0 0, Heath Overly 0 0-0 0, Max Vera 6 2-3 15, Jordan Williams 7 0-0 14, Cutter Clark 1 0-0 2, Timothy Whitfield 4 2-2 12, Malachi Williams 1 0-0 2, Micha Mourik 0 0-0 0, Colin Brazzell 2 0-0 5, Colin Berry 0 0-0 0, Luke Ross 0 0-0 0, Jasiah Henry 2 0-1 4. Totals 24 4-6 56.
PERMIAN (18-12, 5-5)
Tabrie Jones 2 0-0 5, Ryale Moses 8 4-7 20, Ben Saldivar 8 0-0 18, J’Siah McCown 1 0-0 2, Vari Beck 0 0-0 0, Elijah Minjarez 2 1-2 5, Zykivion Bryant 2 0-1 4, Evan Garrett 1 0-0 2, Jimmy Solis 0 0-0 0, Race Herr 10 1-3 24. Totals 34 6-13 80.
Midland Legacy…………………. 13— 13 — 12— 18 — 56
Permian………………….. 17 — — 25 — 20 — 80
3-Point goals — Midland Legacy 2 (Vera 1, Brazzell 1), Permian 6 (Jones 1, Saldivar 2, Herr 3). Total fouls — Midland Legacy 13, Permian 12. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None. JV — Permian 80, Midland Legacy 62.
