Sports
Odessa Permian eliminates Franklin from boys basketball playoffs – El Paso Times
Odessa Permian’s Race Herr scored 33 points as the Panthers overcame a 10-point first quarter deficit to eliminate Franklin, 66-48, on Tuesday night in a Class 6A boys basketball bi-district game.
Permian, which defeated Franklin in last year’s bi-district round is 21-12 and advances to the area round. Franklin finishes 22-10.
The Cougars led 18-8 late in the first quarter behind seven points from Adam Bohls and five points from Diego Herrera. But the Panthers’ size and athleticism bothered the Cougars the rest of the way. Permian went on a 17-0 first half run that started in the first quarter and eventually led to a 31-23 halftime lead.
“Their size and athleticism bothered us,” Franklin coach Adam Castillo said. “We came out strong, but they were tougher than us the final three quarters. We had some good looks, we just couldn’t knock them down.”
Franklin got within 35-30 on a Ben De La O basket, but Permian responded with a 17-6 run to go up 52-36.
The Panthers also received solid play from guard Ben Salvidar, who scored 14 points and Ryale Moses, who was a factor on defense and on the boards.
“I’ve had a great time here at Franklin, it’s a great group of teammates and coaches,” said Bohls, who finished his high school career helping lead the Cougars to a 28-2 record in District 1-6A. “We fought hard and battled, Odessa Permian played well and the size factor was a difference. They had good size up front and in the backcourt.”
The game was played at the Gallego Center on the campus of Sul Ross State in Alpine.
Eastwood is 29-6 and advances to meet Byron Nelson on Friday in the area round. San Angelo Central’s season ends with a 24-10 record. The Bobcats reached the playoffs after defeating Midland High on Saturday to cap a three-team tournament in District 2-6A to determine the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds out of District 2-6A. Eastwood was the No. 1 seed out of District 1-6A after defeating Franklin, 41-40, last Friday in a seeding game for No. 1 and No. 2 out of the district.
San Angelo Central led 23-17 at the half but Eastwood had a big third quarter to take a 33-26 lead into the final quarter. The two teams played close the entire fourth quarter but two late free throws by Eastwood’s Devin Falk-Ramirez was the difference late.
Diego Carrera led the Troopers with 17 points and Falk-Ramirez and Andrew Reyes added 12 points each. The Bobcats were led by Christian English and Kollin Allbright with 11 points each and Dre Young with nine.
“It was a great effort by our guys, they’ve overcome some obstacles this season to get where they are at and I’m proud of them,” said Troopers coach Peter Morales, who has won seven bi-district titles in his career. “Diego was outstanding and Andrew played so well on both ends of the court.”
In Class 2A, the Wildcats saw their season end with a 77-59 loss to Seagraves in the bi-district round. Marcus Lerma led Anthony with 26 points and Angel Solis scored 10.
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Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter
