THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Permian High School Athletics

FORT WORTH The Permian boys basketball team looked to follow up Friday’s showing with another strong effort against defending Class 6A state champion Duncanville in the Region I-6A Final. Permian hung tough but wasn’t able to get over the hump, falling 59-43 to Duncanville in the battle of the Panthers Saturday at the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center. Duncanville (29-5) advanced back to the UIL State Tournament and will play next Friday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Permian finishes the season at 32-4, setting a new school record for wins in the process and advancing to its first regional final since 1968. “We have a great bunch of guys from this year’s team,” Permian head coach Tim Thomas said. Our kids battled even when they got down by 10 and 15 points. They’ve done a lot of great things this season.” Shy Stephens-Deary led Permian in scoring with a game-high 22 points, while Nakavieon White added 14. Duncanville’s Ja’Bryant Hill and Micah Peavy led the team with 11 points apiece, while Juan Reyna had 10. “Coach Thomas does an awesome job with his team,” Duncanville head coach David Peavy said. “We knew it was going to be tough and we were going to have to be ready for anything, but I thought our guys stepped up to the challenge.” The teams went back and forth to start with Duncanville jumping out in front to a 10-8 lead. White was the catalyst for the Permian offense, scoring seven of the first eight points. But Duncanville created separation with an 8-0 run, sparked by a pair of Hill 3-pointers. Permian answered with a quick 5-0 burst, but a Peavy basket gave Duncanville a 20-13 lead after the first eight minutes. Permian scored the first basket of the second quarter, but Duncanville showcased its athletic talent as Peavy and Damon Nicholas threw down a pair of dunks to extend the lead to 27-15. Foul trouble became an issue for both teams as there were a combined 24 fouls called in the first half. White and Peavy each picked up their third fouls late in the second quarter, forcing both teams to adjust. Duncanville took advantage of the situation with its depth as Zhuric Phelps scored five quick points off the bench to extend the lead to 32-17 with two minutes to go in the half. Permian closed the half on a 7-2 run, however, and cut the deficit down to 34-24 at halftime. But the lack of depth for the Panthers was put to the test, making ittough to try and mount a comeback. “It definitely hurt us a lot,” White said. “I wasn’t able to play the majority of the first half and we just had to work through it.” Permian tried to stay within striking distance, but Duncanville came out and scored the first five points of the third quarter to extend the lead back to 15 at 39-24. Stephens-Deary tried to keep Permian in it at the free throw line, connecting on nine in a row to get the margin back to 10. That was as close as Permian would get, however, as a buzzer-beating jump shot by Caleb Ford gave Duncanville a 12-point lead to end the third quarter. That was enough for Duncanville to control possession and close the game out in the final eight minutes, leading by as many as 18 points in the quarter to secure another trip to the state tournament. While not the ending Permian wanted, Thomas said he was proud of what his team accomplished this season. “The kids have a lot to be proud of,” Thomas said. “They represented Odessa really well and it was unfortunate that it had to end, but there’s only one team left standing. “We made it to the top eight in Class 6A and I’m just really proud of what they’ve done.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Permian High School Athletics

PERMIAN'S SEASON ENDS IN LOSS TO DUNCANVILLE

TONY VENEGAS

Odessa American | 3/11/2020

PHOTO CREDIT: Permian Athletics