Texan Mosaic

The South Plains College men’s basketball team continues to improve their record as they work toward a second consecutive NJCAA National Championship.

The Texans dismantled Midland College with a 78-58 victory to open Western Junior College Athletic Conference play on Nov. 28 at Texan Dome.

Opening the second half with a 29-24 lead, the Texans took a double-digit lead with a jumper from sophomore Deon Barett to give SPC a 41-31 lead with 14:31 to go in regulation play.

The Texans continued their success, leading Midland by as much as 26 points, in the back half of the contest.

“It was a tale of two halves,” said Steve Green, head men’s basketball coach at SPC following the Midland victory. “We spent the first half trying to learn their offense. In the second half, we started to focus a little more on what we were trying to do.”

Sophomore Chris Orlina led the Texas in scoring with 18 points, going 7-for-8 from the field, to go along with six rebounds and three steals.

“Chris Orlina was involved in the three plays in the first half that separated us,” said Coach Green. “He got two steals for layups and a full-court pass for another one. That’s six of the five-point lead we had.”

Sophomore Trey Wade put up 16 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, while sophomore Gaige Prim added 12 points, hitting five of his 10 shots from the field.

Sophomore Jonah Antonio scored nine points, while Barett added seven points on 2-of-5 shooting. Red-shirt freshman Christian Wilson added six points on perfect 2-for-2 shooting from the floor and 100-percent shooting from the three-point line.

The Texans notched their eighth consecutive victory of the season by downing Cowley County Community College 97-68 on Nov. 24 at the Collin County Thanksgiving Classic in Dallas.

Prim led the scoring for SPC with 22 points, while Antonio added 20 points. Orlina put up 17 points, and Trey Wade added 12. Barett grabbed 10 points, including three three-pointers. Sophomore Jamar Ergas and Jennings added four points each, while Wilson tallied three.

SPC clenched a 67-59 victory against Seminole State on Nov. 23 at the Collin County Thanksgiving Classic in Dallas.

After being down by four points at the half, the Texans rallied to push past Seminole and post a double-digit victory.

Trey Wade scored a career-high 20 points, while Prim added 19 points. Orlina chipped in 14 points, and Jennings put up 12.

  SPC improved to 6-0 following a 101-74 victory against Coastal Bend College on Nov. 17 in Levelland.

Leading by only four points at the end of the  first half, SPC went on to lead by 27 at the end of regulation play.

Prim finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds, while Antonio added 17 points to go along with six rebounds. Sophomore Dajour Joseph tossed in 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, including 2-for-5 from the three-point line.

SPC shot 52.1 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from the three-point line, and 92.9 percent from the free-throw line.

SPC improved to 5-0 with an 84-55 victory against North Lake College on Nov. 16 in Levelland.

Prim scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds, hitting six of his nine shots from the floor. Orlina added 14 points, five assists and four steals. He hit six of his nine shots from the field. Antonio recorded 13 points, four rebounds and three steals, hitting five of his 13 attempts.

Joseph scored nine points off of the bench, going 3-for-3 from the three-point line. Trey Wade added nine points and five rebounds, while Christian Wilson put up seven points.

SPC shot 42 percent from the floor and 42 percent from the three-point line, forcing 16 turnovers resulting in 18 points.

The Texans improved to 4-0 after stomping Dodge City Community College 108-96 victory on Nov. 10 in Liberal, Kansas.

Barett led the scoring for the Texans with 20 points, hitting seven of his nine shots from the field. Barett was 4-for-5 from the 3-point line in his 19 minutes of play. Prim recorded a double-double, grabbing 17 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Prim hit six of his 10 shots from the field and blocked five shots.

Antonio grabbed 17 points, hitting seven of 10 attempts from the field, and was 3-for-5 from the 3-point line. Joseph added 11 points and hit four of his seven attempts, while Wilson grabbed eight points and Trey Wade grabbed seven.

The Texans shot 54 percent from the floor and outrebounded DCCC 52-30. They scored 20 points on 15 forced turnovers.

SPC slipped past Seward County Community College with a 79-76 victory on Nov. 9 in Liberal, Kansas.

Prim blocked a shot at the rim in the last second of the game, sealing the 79-76 victory.

Prim finished 11-of-14 from the field and six-of-eight from the free throw line, and was 3-for-3 from the 3-point line. Sophomore Charles Jennings added 16 points and three assists, hitting six of his 14 shots in 13 minutes on the court. Trey Wade finished with 10 points and four rebounds, while Antonio chipped in nine points. Trevin Wade added six points, two assists and two steals.

The Texans shot 46.4 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from the 3-point line.

SPC returned to action Dec. 1 against Frank Phillips College in Borger. Results were not available at press time.