LaMarcus Penigar, Clarendon basketball, Sr.
On the court: In Clarendon’s 65-51 win over Lipan which gave the Broncos their second straight Class 2A state title in San Antonio on Saturday, Penigar may have had the most dominant finals performance of any player in Texas Panhandle history, at least in the second half. With Clarendon trailing 24-16 at halftime, Penigar simply went off in the third quarter to carry the Broncos. Penigar assisted on two 3-pointers by Jordan Herndon to open the second half, then took over beyond the arc, hitting three straight 3-pointers, the last of which gave Clarendon the lead for good at 31-28. He would go on to hit two more threes, hitting all five in the quarter, before ending the period by scoring on a layup for a 45-33 lead. But Penigar wasn’t finished, as he scored 16 more in the fourth quarter, capping an epic performance in which he scored 33 of his game-high 41 points in the second half. This was more than enough to earn Penigar championship game MVP honors. One day before the state title game, Penigar scored 15 points in a 69-60 victory over La Rue La Poynor in the state semifinal.
Coach Boston Hudson: “LaMarcus did that earlier in the year but as far as seeing anybody do it on that stage I don’t think I have, and I’ve been going to the state tournament since I was fourth or fifth grade. It was just one of those special performances. The whole gym was into at and I couldn’t have been more proud of him. I thought that first half we kind of played tight. I just told them at halftime we’re going to have to go out here and win this game. Jordan Herndon hit two threes and he kind of got us going, and then LaMarcus hit and it was like he kind of caught fire. He took over the game and it was fun to watch. I think he got in a rhythm. With LaMarcus once he hits one shot and then hits a second, he’s definitely rhythm player. It was one of those things where he couldn’t miss and that rim just gets bigger and bigger.”
Penigar: “I was in foul trouble in the first quarter so when we came out I knew I had to do what I could to get us back in the lead. I just got hot and I just kept shooting. I had a good game against Shallowater the third game of the year, but this is the best game I’ve ever had as far as what I’ve scored. It’s funny, because I told Jordan they’re doubling Jmaury (Davis) so somebody’s gotta be open. I told him I was going to come off Jmaury’s screen and when I pass you the ball I want you to shoot it. It felt good making history. After that first three I said ‘It’s showtime now.’ We made our mark. Somebody can replace it, but it won’t be replaced for a long time.”
About Penigar
Favorite band or musician: Polo G
Favorite social media platform: Instagram
Favorite athlete: Ja Morant
Bet you didn’t know: Trip to San Antonio for the state tournament is the furthest he’s ever been from Clarendon.
Parents: Marcus Penigar and Evonne Woolen