SPC basketball teams excited for Region 5 tournament beginning Thursday

Passes good for every game of the tournament can be purchased for $20 for adults and $12 for students. Single game admission is $7 for adults and $4 for students. Both can be purchased at the gate.
PSBLive.com will provide live video of all the action of the Region 5 men's and women's tournaments with Bill Brownell calling the courtside action. KLVT's Michael Wiiest will provide audio for the Texan and Lady Texan games on KLVT 1230 AM and www.klvtradio.com. 

The NJCAA No. 1 ranked Texans completed the first undefeated regular season in school history when they defeated the New Mexico Military Institute 82-68 Thursday in Roswell, N.M. Their 29th consecutive victory tied marks set by former coach Ron Mayberry's 1991 team and Green's 2003 squad. 

A victory over Temple College Thursday night would give South Plains their 30th straight win and set a new standard in the SPC record books. 

The Texans (29-0), who have not lost since playing McLennan in the first round of the Region 5 tournament last year, should get the pace of play they enjoy as Temple likes to play fast.

"They are an aggressive team offensively, they don't waste much time. They get the ball down the floor and run a couple of really simple aggressive sets," said Green who is now in his 12th season leading the Texans. "They throw the ball right to the block and the guy just tries to turn and score. You always worry about foul trouble, trying to block a shot that maybe you were not in position for."

"If you are not real sharp they (Temple) can make you look bad."

Green added that the Leopards (17-13, 6-6) are accustomed to playing in this tournament and expects them to come in ready to play.

If the Texans are fortunate enough to defeat Temple they would then play the winner of Thursday's McLennan/New Mexico game at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Coach Michelle Wyatt's Lady Texan team took a slightly different path in qualifying for their eighth consecutive Region 5 tournament and her seventh as head coach. 

The Lady Texans were able to recover from a 3-15 start to the season that appeared might jeopardize their post-season chances when they also dropped their first two conference games on the schedule. 
South Plains (9-19) recovered to win five-of-their-next-seven games to climb right back in the hunt, and then defeated Western Texas College in their season finale to clinch the right to represent the Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC) as the No. 4 seed. 

Wyatt's team will face NTJCAC No. 1 seed Weatherford College at 5 p.m. Friday March 9. 

The Lady Coyotes have won 10 games in a row and are currently ranked No. 15 in the NJCAA polls, but won the top seed on a coin flip as they were tied with Hill College in the standings.

Wyatt believes records can be thrown out once post-season play begins and believes her team matches up well against Weatherford.

"They (Weatherford) are not huge, but they are pretty balanced with four kids that average double figures," said Wyatt.

The seventh year Lady Texan head coach added that her team is continuing to practice hard and the players are excited about the opportunity.

For more information and the latest updates regarding the NJCAA Region 5 tournaments please visit www.njcaaregion5.com.

Game Notes

No. 1 Texans (29-0) vs Temple College (17-13) Thursday, March 8 at 7 p.m.

Texan Players to Watch
No. Name Ht. Pos. Year Stats
2 Yanick Moreira 6-11 Fwd FR 12 pts, 7 rebs, 2 blocks/game
10 Devonte Smith 5-10 PG FR 6 pts, 5 assists/game
11 Stanton Kidd 6-7 Fwd SO 11 pts, 6 rebs/game
12 Marshall Henderson 6-2 Guard SO 19 pts/game, 42.6% 3-pt FGA
15 Tymell Murphy 6-5 Guard SO 10 pts, 6 rebs/game

Temple Players to Watch
No. Name Stats
5 Earl Graves 14 pts, 8 rebs/game
11 Jordan Roach 15 pts/game
35 DeMarcus Johnson 12 pts, 7 rebs/game
40 Jacoby Harrison 12 pts, 6 rebs/game


Lady Texans (9-19) vs No. 15 Weatherford (23-3) Friday, March 9 at 5 p.m.

Lady Texan Players to Watch
No. Name Ht. Pos. Year Stats
11 Ashley Roberts 5-7 Guard SO 17 pts/game-WJCAC scoring leader
35 Shea Myatt 5-9 Wing FR 6.5 pts, 6 rebs/game
55 Stephanie Moore 6-1 Post SO 10 pts, 7 rebs/game-4 double-double
NJCAA Region 5 Men's Tournament Schedule

Thursday, March 8, 2012 

12 p.m. Game 1
(W3) New Mexico (22-8) vs (N2) McLennan (23-7)

2 p.m. Game 2
(W2) Howard (21-7) vs (N3) Weatherford (14-12)

5 p.m. Game 3
(W4) Odessa (23-7) vs (N1) Ranger (19-10)

7 p.m. Game 4
(W1) South Plains (29-0) vs (N4) Temple (17-13)

Saturday, March 10, 2012 Semifinal Games

12 p.m. Game 9
Winner Game 2 vs Winner Game 3

2 p.m. Game 10
Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 4

Sunday March 11, 2012
2 p.m. Championship Game
Winner Game 9 vs Winner Game 10

NJCAA Region 5 Women's Tournament Schedule

Friday, March 9, 2012 

12 p.m. Game 5
(W3) No. 13 Midland (23-7) vs (N2) Hill (26-4)

2 p.m. Game 6
(W2) Odessa (20-8) vs (N3) Cisco (20-10)

5 p.m. Game 7
(W4) South Plains (9-19) vs (N1) No. 15 Weatherford (23-3)

7 p.m. Game 8
(W1) New Mexico (26-4) vs (N4) McLennan (12-17)

Saturday, March 10, 2012 - Semifinal Games

5 p.m. Game 11
Winner Game 6 vs Winner Game 7

7 p.m. Game 12
Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 8

Sunday, March 11, 2012
Championship Game
Winner Game 11 vs Winner Game 12