No. 1 Texans pummel Frank Phillips 84-63, set up showdown with No. 3 Odessa Thursday for conference title

BORGER — Sophomore Jevonnie Scott led all scorers with 18 points and eight boards Monday as the top-ranked South Plains College men's basketball team pummeled Frank Phillips College 84-63 at the Borger Activity Center.

The Texans improve to 17-0 on the year and 12-0 in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference and will look to capture the WJCAC title outright with a win on Thursday against No. 3 Odessa College, with tip slated for 6:30 p.m. In their previous meeting on March 4, the Texans bested the Wranglers 96-93 in overtime at the Texan Dome.

South Plains shot 45.2 percent from the floor against FPC, knocking down eight 3s as Scott finished 6 of 13 from the floor and was 6 of 8 from the free throw line over 26 minutes. Sophomore Rivaldo Soares netted 16 points on 7 of 12 shooting to go along with seven rebounds in 27 minutes.

Philmon Gebrewhit poured in 16 points and a game-high seven assists coming off the bench for the Texans, connecting on 6 of 12 shots and was 3 of 8 from distance over 29 minutes. Sophomore big man Yuot Gai chipped in nine points and snagged 11 rebounds for South Plains while Dalph Panopio had 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists for SPC.

The Texans dominated the glass, outrebounding FPC 48-33, and scored 36 points inside the paint. South Plains forced 11 turnovers in the game resulting in 10 points on the offensive end and tallied 13 points on second chance opportunities. 

Frank Phillips shot 36.9 percent from the floor and were just 5 of 21 from the 3-point line. Jalen Colling led the Plainsmen with 11 points while DJ Richardson had 10 and Lance Amir Paul had eight points and six rebounds for FPC.

With a win Thursday, the Texans will lock up the No.1 seed in the WJCAC Men's Basketball Tournament which will be held April 4-7 at Lubbock Christian University.