ARTICLE BY LEE SCHEIDE: ODESSA AMERICAN

It was close for the first three minutes … and then it wasn't.

The Odessa College women's basketball team started slowly and then picked up steam, running away to a 75-36 victory against Frank Phillips College in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play Wednesday at the OC Sports Center.

Arielle Adams led the Lady Wranglers (10-5 overall, 1-0 WJCAC) with a game-high 17 points, with Yanina Todorova adding 10 in the victory.

Odessa College, led by the playoff its guards, opened up an eight-point leader after one quarter, extended the margin to 14 at halftime and steadily pulled away in the second half.

"This is probably the best we've executed at the zone," Lady Wranglers coach Ara Baten said. "I think we've made some progress in our time, our spacing and our ball movement, so that's encouraging.

"Right now, that's the way it's been (with guards leading the way). We've got talented kids in five positions and we're getting to the point where the good players are going to play."

Canton Moreno had 14 points for the Lady Plainsmen (5-6, 0-1), with Hannah Grange adding a game-high 10 rebounds in the loss.

The Lady Wranglers will travel to face New Mexico JC at 3 p.m. Saturday before taking their Christmas break. They will return to the Permian Basin on Dec. 28, begin practicing on Dec. 29 and they play a pair of games against Coastal Bend College and Temple College on Jan. 3 and 4, 2019, respectively, to get back into the swing of things.

WJCAC play resumes on Jan. 9 against Midland College at the Chaparral Center.

"Everybody's dealing with the same thing," Baten said of the athletes leaving for home for the holiday. "It takes about seven to 10 days to get back to where you are now, so we'll come back and start practicing, play a couple games in East Texas and then be ready to go."