The South Plains College Basketball team will play for their fourth national title after winning the NJCAA Region 5 Title and earning an automatic bid to the national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.
SPC 85, Grayson College 69
Six players scored in double figures Thursday as the topseeded South Plains College men’s basketball team pummeled Grayson College 85-69 in the quarterfinal round of the Region V Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Betty Jo Graber Athletic Center.
“Our guys played fast and executed the game plan early on,” South Plains head coach Hayden Sowers said. “Every possession, for 40 minutes you have to play that way to win the postseason. We knew they were really good in transition and if we could force misses it would allow us to run the floor. We were locked in from the beginning and found a way to get some easy buckets.”
Kerwin Prince led the Texans with 16 points and 11 boards coming off the bench, connecting on five of nine shots from the field over 23 minutes. Jabori Mcghee and Jalen Forrest each finished with 15 points for South Plains, while Malique Ewin had 12 points and 13 boards and Jermahri Hill finished with 10.
Sophomore Bryson Ogletree chipped in 10 points over 17 minutes as South Plains shot 47 percent from the floor in the contest. The Texans locked down Grayson on the defensive end, forcing their counterpart to shoot just 32 percent from the field and five of 21 from the 3-point line.
“We’ve earned the right to play 40 more minutes,” Sowers said. “We have to get locked in and get ready for tomorrow. Our guys know Odessa, and they know us, and every game from here on out is going to be tough to win, especially in our region which is the best region in the country.”
SPC 63, ODESSA 53
WEATHERFORD — The South Plains College men’s basketball team will play for the region title come Saturday after defeating Odessa 63-53 on Friday in the semifinal round of the Region V Tournament at the Betty Jo Graber Athletic Center.
“Any time you win in the postseason it’s a good thing regardless of the opponent, but that was an absolute war,” South Plains head coach Hayden Sowers said. “Odessa is a really good team, and to beat them three times is a great accomplishment. We have earned the right to play the most important 40 minutes of this tournament tomorrow in the championship, and we’re going to get locked in and get ready for tomorrow.”
The Texans shot a 43 percent clip from the field, led by sophomores Jabori McGhee and Jalen Hampton who each finished with 19 points. Malique Ewin recorded 15 points and 12 boards over 35 minutes for South Plains, his 12th consecutive game scoring in double figures.
“When our guys are locked in they can beat anyone in the country,” Sowers said. “The challenge is trying to get them locked in every day. I knew within the first three possessions our guys were ready for the fight, and once you can get talent ready to play, you can win a lot of games. Odessa does a great job slowing the game down, and they do a great job taking away our strengths. We were able to make more plays down the stretch, and that’s why we won. We’re going to get focused on tomorrow and try and bring home a region championship back to Levelland.”
The Texans won the battle in the interior, outrebounding the Wranglers 30-26 on the glass and scored 24 points inside the paint. South Plains forced nine turnovers in the contest and netted 15 points on second-chance opportunities. Come Saturday, the Texans will be looking to win their second region title in the last three years, the previous coming on March 5, 2022, when the Texans took down top-seeded Odessa in Lubbock.
SPC 100, CLARENDON 98
WEATHERFORD — The South Plains College men’s basketball team has earned the opportunity to play for the program’s fourth national title after defeating Clarendon 100-98 on Saturday, capturing the Region V title, and an automatic bid to the NJCAA Men’s Basketball National Tournament.
The Texans, who will enter the tournament as either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, will be one of 24 teams selected on Sunday during the NJCAA Selection Show at 6 p.m., which will air live on the NJCAA Network.
“This was a great game between two really good teams,” South Plains head coach Hayden Sowers said. “Our guys made plays, and they deserve this one. They get 48 hours to celebrate this one, and then we will lock in on our next opponent. Offensively, we found a way to create shots down the stretch, and in the postseason, stats don’t matter, you just have to find a way to win, and all the credit goes to our players. They won this game.”
The Texans unleashed every part of their offensive arsenal Saturday, as the WJCAC Player of the Year Malique Ewin went off for 26 points and eight boards. Jabori McGhee and Jermahri Hill each finished with 23 points, while Jalen Hampton poured in 18 points and snagged 11 boards. South Plains shot 58.2 percent from the field, and went 21 of 28 from the free throw line in the contest.
Clarendon found ways to answer with the rock, as former McDonald’s High School All-American Dior Johnson led all scorers with 40 points, six rebounds, and six assists, knocking down 11 of 24 shots from the field and was 16 of 18 from the charity stripe. Lenard Taylor dropped in 30 points over 38 minutes, while Gloire Goma netted 10. The Bulldogs shot a 50 percent clip form the floor, poured in 10 of 21 shots from distance, and were 22 of 26 from the free throw line.
“I told our players before the game, I put 35,000 miles on my truck this summer driving all over the United States recruiting these guys,” Sowers said. “They bought into the vision, and now we’re champions. I told Dr. Satterwhite and Roger Reding when I came off the court after we lost to Ranger last year that we were going to win it next year. We did it, now we are going to go try and win a national title.”