Texans win three before dropping
heartbreaker
by Cody Barron, staff writer
The South Plains College Texans went into the final stretch
of the season holding the top spot in the Western Junior
College Athletic Conference. With a conference title and a
spot in the Region 5 tournament up for grabs, the Texans
knew they would have their hands full from now on. On Feb.
26, the Texans knew they would be in for a test when the
Howard College Hawks came into the Texan Dome. The Hawks
were determined to avenge their last-second home loss to SPC
on Feb. 1.
The Hawks used a 12-point
turnaround in the final six minutes of the game to pull out
the victory over the Texans, 71-69. Dan Sencanski’s field
goal with 16 seconds remaining would prove to be the game
winner, as Nick Okorie’s 3-pointer at the end was off the
mark.
The Texans
trailed by six, 32-26, at halftime after falling behind by
as many as eight points in the first half. After the break,
SPC would use two Okorie 3-pointers and another by Jermaine
Bolden to build a 47-38 lead.
SPC held a 12 point lead,
65-53, with six minutes remaining, but three consecutive
Hawk 3-pointers would cut the lead down to three. Malik
Motnii’s free throw would push the Texans’ lead to four,
only to be erased by four consecutive Howard free throws.
Motnii answered with a bucket in the paint, which would
prove to be SPC’s last score.
Brandon Sampay of Howard
hit a shot to tie the game with 53 seconds left, but SPC
turned the ball over on their next possession that would
lead to Sencanski’s game-winnner.
Bolden led SPC scorers with
19 points, followed by Steven Harley’s 16 and Motnii’s 10
points. The Texans fell to 23-6 overall and 12-3 in
conference play, and knocked them out of sole possession of
first place in the WJCAC.
On Feb. 22, No. 20 ranked
Texans hosted New Mexico Military Institute. SPC used a
game-high 26 points from Harley to cruise past the Broncos,
92-73.
Harley’s 13 first-half
points, along with 10 points from Okorie, would help put the
Texans up by a score of 44-39 at the half. The Texans would
open the lead up to 10 in the early minutes of the second
half.
The Broncos
rallied back within four, but would not get any closer. SPC
would later use a 12-0 run, including seven consecutive
points from Okorie to increase the lead to 81-57 with 4:33
remaining.
Okorie finished with 18
points, Motnii chipped in 16 and Jonathan Hall added 13 in
the victory.
The Texans traveled to
Odessa on Feb. 19 to battle the Odessa College Wranglers.
Despite the Wranglers’ second-half efforts, the Texans were
able to escape with a 67-64 victory.
The Texans
led 41-33 at halftime, but they quickly saw that lead slip
away and found themselves down by as many as 13 in the
second half. The Texans trailed 57-44 with a little more
than 11 minutes left in the half when they used a 9-0 run to
cut the lead down to four. Odessa added a basket to bring
the lead up to six, but SPC used nine points by Harley to
complete a 12-0 run and pull ahead, 69-65.
Odessa would
come within one with 1:45 remaining in the game, but the
Wranglers would not score again. Okorie’s breakaway dunk in
the final 10 seconds of the game would seal the deal for the
Texans. Harley scored a game-high 23 points, with Okorie
finishing close behind with 22.
On Feb. 15, the Texans went
on the road to take on Clarendon College. Hall’s 18 points
and 17 rebounds would prove to be too much, as the Texans
cruised past the Bulldogs, 93-68.
SPC trailed
early, 10-8, but used a 12-0 run to go up 20-10. The
Bulldogs got within three, but would never be able to catch
up as the Texans were able to regain a double-digit lead by
halftime, 45-34.
The Bulldogs were able to
get within five early in the second half, but would go
ice-cold, letting the Texan lead increase to as many as 28.
Harley led all scorers with 21 points, while Okorie poured
in 20.
The Texans were to face New
Mexico Junior College on March 1, though results were not
available at press time.
