Central Bobcats, Lady Cats Take Down Permian at Home

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Central Bobcats overcame a slow start to take down the first-place Permian Panthers in San Angelo on Wednesday night. Ean McNeill dropped 19 points for the Bobcats as Central claimed victory, 74-67.

With the win, the Bobcats move into a 3-way-tie in first place in District 2-6A with Midland Legacy and Permian. Legacy defeated Odessa High on Wednesday night, 55-47.

"That first quarter was a little crazy," Head Coach Arsenior Geter said after the game. "[Permain] came out and hit like five threes in the first quarter. Props to them for shooting so well. We could have folded to that pressure, but instead, we regrouped, the kids stepped up and we got them."

Central led early before Mojo went on a run to end the first quarter. The scoring barrage included those five three-point shots to give the Panthers a 19-11 lead headed to the second quarter.

In the 2nd, Central locked down on defense. The Bobcats forced several turnovers that led to easy fast-break points. Central retook the lead with just over three minutes to play in the half, and never looked back. The Bobcats' Jay Frank was a huge reason for the comeback, scoring 10 points, including two threes, and the 'Cats headed to the locker room up five, 34-29.

Permian played physical, but the Bobcats proved up to the task.

"Since the first day of the offseason, we've been in the weight room," Geter said of the Bobcats' strength on the floor. "We've gotten much stronger...we just try and match teams that play physical. We're little, but as long as we play tough, it doesn't matter."

Geter commented on a loss earlier in the season, saying that the Bobcats weren't physical enough in that game.

"That [loss] is still in the back of our minds," Geter continued. "It's pushing us forward. When we [play physical], we see a lot of success."

The same song and dance continued in the 3rd quarter. Central outscored Permian 47-22 during that two-quarter stretch, and the game seemed to be over. However, Permian's talent from behind the 3-point arc kept Mojo in the game long enough to make it seem close. Even up ten with less than a minute to play, the game never truly felt out of reach for Permian. The Panthers would hit a final three-point shot in the 4th to pull within seven, but the Bobcats held on.

Central claimed victory, 74-67.

Ean McNeill led the Bobcats in scoring on Wednesday night with 19 points, followed by Jay Frank with 15 points and T.K. Taylor with 14 points. Taylor's main confrontation came on defense. The young man had several blocks on key shots inside and made it almost impossible for Permian to score in the lane.