That's one team scratched off the list.

It's been a curious season for the Odessa College women's basketball team, but as the second half of conference play tipped off, the Lady Wranglers were bent on righting some earlier wrongs, with plenty to prove as a round of rematches got underway.

Odessa College has seen its share of ups and downs, as a team that entered the season shouldering high expectations coming off a run to the national tournament's quarterfinals a year ago, but one that has also suffered through streaks of struggles in its first run through conference play.

Still, despite how they opened conference play, the Lady Wranglers are convinced they can compete with anyone they step on the floor with.

They took steps to proving just that on Thursday night.

Odessa College found its rhythm and dropped No. 13 Frank Phillips College in a standings-shaking 64-53 victory at the OC Sports Center.

In convincing fashion, the Lady Wranglers toppled one of the conference leaders, and avenged a bitter loss from earlier in the season.

It's a first revenge win, with more to come, if Odessa College has its way.

"They beat us the first time," Lady Wranglers forward Sydni Tears put it simply after Thursday's victory.

"When we were at home, we had to take care of business."

The Lady Wranglers did, taking a three-point halftime lead and stretching it to as large as 10 points in the third quarter, before staving off Frank Phillips in the fourth.

Odessa College led 31-28 at the break, then charged into the third quarter with a 9-4 run. Forward Leticia Soares scored underneath, then after the Lady Wranglers forced a steal, Shannon Dozier finished on the other end in transition to put Odessa College up 40-32 four minutes into the second half.

Later in the frame, Tears scored in the paint on an assist from Kassie Ybarra, then in the ensuing moments, Dozier found the net again to put the Lady Wranglers in front 46-36 with about two minutes left in the third.

Odessa College matched stride for stride with Frank Phillips in the fourth. The Lady Wranglers' lead was never cut to anything closer than a seven-point margin.

"That's a good win for our kids," Odessa College head coach Ara Baten said. "That's a good win for our team."

With it, the Lady Wranglers move to 16-7 on the season and 4-4 in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference.

Odessa College jumped out to a 26-10 lead at the end of the first quarter Thursday, but found itself in a familiar dry spell in the second quarter. Frank Phillips outscored Odessa College 18-5 in the second period, to make it a three-point game by the half.

But, in every way they needed to, the Lady Wranglers tightened up.

"We pulled that through," Dozier said. "We were messy in the second quarter. It was real messy. We had to pull it through.

"We had to come back in the second half ready to play."

Odessa College did that, and made the adjustment — the way the Lady Wranglers are looking to adjust to the conference the second time through.

"The credit obviously goes to the kids," Baten said. "It's hard to jump out on somebody like that, and then let them come back, and then to go ahead and grind it out. I think that's hard to do.

"That shows some maturity on our part. I'm proud of our kids. I'm proud of our team for that. That's not easy to do."

Article by Justin Lee OA

Photo by Jacob Ford OA