Nakavieon White brought the fans in the Permian Fieldhouse to their feet.

Just over a minute into the second quarter of the Panthers' nondistrict game against Lubbock-Cooper Thursday night, the Permian sophomore stole an errant Pirates’ pass to start a fast break.

White took the ball and never took his eyes off the hoop and threw down a two-handed slam dunk that sparked the Panthers to a 62-28 win.

“Nakavieon is very capable of making plays,” Permian head coach Tim Thomas said. “I’m on him all the time about playing hard every possession. … It was a big play for our team and a special pay for him.”

White got fouled on the play by Lubbock-Cooper’s RAA Murphy and powered through getting hit on the arm for the dunk that sent the Panthers’ bench and fans into elation. He converted the ensuing free throw to finish the three-point play.

White ended the game with seven points. Four other Permian players had at least seven — led by senior guard Brother Miller, who led all scorers with 12 points.

White said that he used his instincts on the dunk and just took off in the direction of the rim and got the ball through the hoop.

“I feel like that gave us a lot of energy,” White said. “It turned our intensity up and we started playing harder and faster.”

After a slow-paced first quarter where neither team picked up an offensive rhythm, White’s dunk was one basket in a 24-point second quarter that put the Panthers (13-3) up double digits.

Permian didn’t relent in the second half either — holding Lubbock-Cooper (9-6) to 12 points after the break.

“We feel like if we take care of things defensively, that we take care of things period,” Thomas said.

Those defensive efforts helped Permian earn a lopsided win despite missing free throws and a few lay-ups throughout the game.

Miller added after the game that the Panthers used the game to work on fundamentals because of their advantage on the scoreboard.

“We got a lot of people that can score the basketball,” Miller said. “We play for each other and we try to get everybody working together as a whole to make our team better.”

While all 12 Panthers took the floor at some point in the game, 10 of them scored and only two players picked up multiple fouls.

Permian’s unselfishness on offense kept Lubbock-Cooper’s defense guessing all game long as to who would shot the ball and whether another pass would be made.

Defensively, Permian put constant pressure on Pirates’ ball handlers that caused more than a dozen turnovers.

“Our guys, they really excel here at home,” Thomas said. “And they’ve played pretty tough on the road as well. We had some really terrific road games.

“We still have a lot of room for improvement.”

Permian now has three weeks separating it from the start of District 2-6A play. The Panthers next play in the Caprock tournament in Lubbock from Dec. 28 to 30, before its final nondistrict home game against Brownfield on Jan. 2.

While Thomas liked what he saw from the Panthers against Lubbock-Cooper, he believes there’s a lot more to come.

“(The kids) are still getting to know each other and getting acclimated to the system,” Thomas said. “Offensively, I would say that we’re behind right now where we want to be. We’re more behind offensively than we are defensively.”

That should be a good sign for Permian, which prides itself on its defensive skill and containing explosive opponents.

“Our defense still has to step up a little bit more,” Miller said. “(Thomas) tells us all the time he envisions us playing the bigger schools and the guys that have a lot of DI athletes or just a great team in the state.”
