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Kolbe Kinghorn attempts to score on the inside for Western Texas College during Thursday’s game against Clarendon College. The Westerners won 80-66.
The Western Texas College Westerners utilized an effective outside-inside game during the second half to wear down Clarendon College 80-66 Thursday night.
With the win, WTC (12-9, 3-4) is one game behind fourth place Midland College and Frank Phillips College in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference.
Shane Johnson made 9-of-15 field goals, including one 3-pointer, and four free throws in leading WTC with 23 points. D.J. Thorpe scored 13 points while Curtiss Anderson dominated the inside with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Shannon James scored 11 points and had six assists. Xavier Ledet had 11 rebounds.
“We kept playing and the game opened up in the second half,” WTC head coach Larren Silver said. “We started to score easier against the defense. It was a team effort with 11 of our 13 players scoring.”
Kevin Pritchard Jr. led Clarendon with 15 points while Narcisse Kalamba added 12 points. Myron Morgan and Fa’Teem Glenn each finished with 10 points.
“One of the keys to the game was holding Clarendon to nine 3-pointers,” Silver said. “They had 17 3-pointers in each of the last two games. I don’t like to play a zone defense, but we needed to do that because of the way Clarendon ran its offense.”
The lead changed 10 times during the first half. Clarendon’s largest lead was 8-4 while the Westerners had a 17-12 lead. Jordan Parker’s 3-pointer helped the Bulldogs tie the game at 29-29. Johnson regained the lead for WTC on a 3-pointer. Glenn scored to pull Clarendon to within 32-31 at halftime.
Clarendon led 37-34 early in the second half, but Johnson’s three-point play tied the game at 37-37 and that sparked a run. The 11-0 run gave WTC a 45-37 lead.
WTC kept the pressure on the Bulldogs and was able to increase the lead 79-54 with five minutes left in the game.
“It helped to have a good effort and we kept going inside during the second half,” Silver said. “Shane had a good offensive game and finished well when driving to the basket. He had a great game. Anderson played well for the second straight game.”
Silver said winning back-to-back games will give the team confidence they prepare to play at South Plains College Monday.
“It’s a big win against Clarendon and kept us in the running for the regional tournament,” he said. “South Plains will be waiting for us. We played better defense in the second half and contested shots. Anderson’s presence inside also helped.”
Clarendon College scorers — Kevin Pritchard Jr. 15, Narcisse Kalamba 12, Myron Morgan 10, Fa’Teem Glenn 10, Jordan Parker 8, James Kirksey 4, Arta Turner 3, Jonathan Koud 2, Erik Nyberg 2.
WTC scorers — Shane Johnson 23, D.J. Thorpe 13, Curtiss Anderson 12, Shannon James 11, Traylin Prejean 6, Xavier Ledet 4, Kolbe Kinghorn 3, Jeffrey Uju 3, Christian Hewitt 2, Anton Bilous 2, Jason Nunez 1.
WTC statistics — Jeffrey Uju 7 rebounds; Shannon James 6 rebounds, 6 assists; Xavier Ledet 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal; Shane Johnson 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot; Curtiss Anderson 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocked shots, 2 steals; Traylin Prejean 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal; D.J. Thorpe 2 rebounds, 1 steal; Tavon Ngangum 1 rebound, 1 steal; Christian Hewitt 1 rebound; Anton Bilous 1 rebound, 1 assist; Kolbe Kinghorn 2 rebounds.