Turner nets school record 50 points, 13 3s as Texans drum Midland 94-62

LEVELLAND — Kieves Turner made the most of his final game on the hardwood at the Texan Dome Thursday night as the 6-foot-1 guard from Coatesville, Pennsylvania recorded a pair of school records, dropping in 50 points and connected on 13 3s as the Texans drilled Midland 94-62 to close out the regular season.   

Turner broke Henry Taylor's previous record of 46 points in a game, which stood as the most in a single game when Taylor netted 46 points on Feb. 24, 1975 against Howard College. Turner also broke Jordan Branger's previous school record of 10 3s in a game, which was set on Feb. 16, 2017, against New Mexico Military Institute. 

"We got off to a good start and made some shots early and got a comfortable lead," South Plains College head coach Steve Green said. "We had an incredible performance by one guy tonight, and the basket looked like the Gulf of Mexico to him. I'm happy for Kieves, and he's a good guy."

South Plains shot 50.7 percent from the floor and 43.9 percent from 3 as Turner finished 16 of 22 from the field and was 13 of 19 from distance over 37 minutes. Turner also finished five of five from the free throw line and snagged nine boards in the win.

"I want the guys to shoot when they're open," Green said. "If they will move the ball and play unselfishly, then you take your chances. We have to get better defensively. We get too comfortable, and that's something I've talked to our guys about. I don't know how many games in the regional tournament are determined by one point, so we have to play every possession like it's the game-winning point. It's do or die now."

Savion Gallion provided 12 points and five assists off the bench for South Plains, connecting on 5 of 11 shots over 27 minutes. Jaylin Reed poured in 10 points and snagged six boards while Jaden Harris chipped in eight points over 22 minutes.

South Plains forced Midland into 18 turnovers, resulting in 21 points on the offensive end, and received 29 points from their bench. Midland shot a 44.1 percent clip from the floor but was just 5 of 23 from distance.

"We have to get to the finals of the region tournament and have to win the next two games," Green said. "If we can do that, hopefully, we can get a shot at getting back to Hutch. Our guys understand that if we don't win now, we don't play anymore. Our guys want to keep playing and want those opportunities. It's now win, advance, and move on."

The Texans finish the regular season second in the WJCAC, and will play as the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Region V Tournament. South Plains will play the No. 3 seed out of the North at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 3 at the Tiger Pit at Frenship High School.