Lady Texans Off to Fast Start in Pre-Conference Play

 Joe Gonzales, sports editor 

The South Plains College Lady Texans are off and running toward another great season.

With a strong effort at the WJCAC Pre-Conference Tournament held Nov. 17 – Nov. 19 in Hobbs, N.M., the Lady Texans are out to prove that they can be just as dominant as last year’s team.  Despite a disappointing four-point loss to Odessa College in the championship game, the Lady Texans have started this season off on the right foot with a 7-1 record. 

The tournament opener for the Lady Texans was a dominating effort against Frank Phillips College.  SPC took an 11-point lead into halftime and never looked back, defeating Frank Phillips 65-52.  Three players for SPC finished the game in double figures.  Dominic Seals poured in 24 points and pulled down 8 rebounds, while Alana Rumph tallied 15 points, and Brooke DeGrate added 11.  The Lady Texans held Frank Phillips to only 35 percent shooting from the field.

On Nov. 18, South Plains faced off against a feisty Howard College team and was able to scratch out a 50-39 victory.  Even though the Lady Texans had a poor shooting night, hitting just 34 percent of their shots from the floor, including 14 percent on 3-pointers, the team was able to fight their way out of a slump and found a way to win the game.  Leading the way for the Lady Texans were Rumph with 16 points and Seals with 16 points and 11 rebounds.  Latoya Fairley had 23 points in the losing effort for Howard.

The championship game in the WJCAC Pre-Conference Tournament pitted two talented programs, and the game proved to be very tight and competitive.  Odessa College came ready to play and took a 27-23 lead at the half. The Lady Wranglers maintained that four-point margin for a 65-61 victory, despite a valiant effort from SPC in the second half.  Seals scored 22 points in the second half to finish the night with 25, while Rumph was the only other Lady Texan in double figures with 14. 

Head Coach Michelle Wyatt has to be pleased with the team’s overall performance during the first few weeks of the season, and will look to get back on a winning streak in the weeks to come.