The last time the Odessa High and Permian boys basketball teams faced off, their game was decided by a late basket and the visiting team came away with a victory.
Tuesday’s District 2-6A matchup at the OHS Fieldhouse had a similar setup, this time with Permian emerging with a 36-35 win when Ben Saldivar hit a midrange jump shot with nine seconds left in regulation.
The Bronchos couldn’t get a final shot attempt off as time expired and suffered their second district loss of the season.
Permian boys basketball coach Steven Flores said both teams provided a great game for the city of Odessa.
“Both teams are great teams and both teams are well-coached,” Flores said. “The boys played hard on both ends and Odessa High did the same thing.
“With another two seconds, they could have won and with another 10 seconds we could have won. That’s just the way it went both games.”
Permian took over the game early with a quick 6-0 scoring run, started by a deep 3-pointer from Saldivar.
The Panthers wasted no time building up their advantage, until the Bronchos had a response.
A floater from Coco Rose was accompanied by baskets from Ivan Carreon and Jordan Bruner, which helped Odessa High cut Permian’s lead to one point at the end of the first quarter.
Odessa High found a rhythm in the second period, getting 10 points from Rose and Carreon to go into the halftime break up by three.
Both teams went through shooting slumps at different moments in the game, which affected who held the lead.
Permian had shooting troubles in the second quarter and Odessa High felt those issues in the third.
The Panthers capitalized on the slow stretch from the Bronchos to take a 31-23 lead into the fourth period.
Despite being outscored 12-5 in the final quarter, the Panthers secured the victory with Saldivar’s game-winning shot.
Odessa High boys coach Neal Welch said his players have to make better decisions when they have the ball in the paint instead of trying to force shots.
“We’ve just got to trust our teammates, pass it to the open guy and be ready to knock down a shot,” Welch said. “I thought we could have done that a little bit better today.”
The Bronchos (21-6 overall, 5-2 district) will host Midland Legacy at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the OHS Fieldhouse, while the Panthers (19-6, 4-3) will play Midland High at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Midland.
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Permian 36, Odessa High 35
Tuesday, OHS Fieldhouse
PERMIAN (19-6, 4-3)
Calvione Callicutt 3 2-4 8, Ben Saldivar 5 0-0 11, Ryale Moses 0 0-0 0, Justen Martinez 0 0-0 0, Tremayne Baty 1 0-0 2, Joe Aguilar 0 0-0 0, Jamobrione Anderson 4 2-2 12, Brian Huitron 0 0-0 0, Zech Leija 0 0-0 0, Race Herr 1 0-2 3. Totals 14 4-8 36.
ODESSA HIGH (21-6, 5-2)
Coco Rose 6 2-5 16, Caleb Ramirez 0 0-0 0, Adrian Muzquiz 0 0-0 0, Jaylen McCowan 0 0-0 0, Ivan Carreon 5 0-0 10, Austin Marquez 0 0-0 0, LJ Willis 3 0-3 7, Christian Contee 0 0-0 0, Jordan Bruner 1 0-0 2, Richie Aguilar 0 0-0 0, Joshua Austin 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 2-8 35.
Permian……………….. 7…. 6 18 5 — 36
Odessa High…………. 6.. 10 7 12 — 35
3-Point goals — Permian 4 (Anderson 2, Saldivar 1, Herr 1), Odessa High 3 (Rose 2, Willis 1). Total fouls — Permian 9, Odessa High 9. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None.
