03:08 AM CST on Thursday, December 9, 2004
By C. ANTHONY MOSSER / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

GARLAND – South Garland shut down Plano's usually reliable inside game and rolled to a 66-46 win in an early season matchup of state-ranked Class 5A teams on Wednesday.

The Colonels (7-2), No. 14 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 5A state poll, never trailed and broke the game open by hitting three consecutive 3-pointers midway through the third quarter.

No. 15 Plano (8-2) trailed by two at halftime but never recovered from the 3-point barrage that enabled South Garland to extend its lead from three points to 12. Plano never got closer than eight after that.

"We got exposed by a physical team," Plano coach Tom Inman said. "South Garland's a very good team. ... Things just kind of snowballed on us. It might have been a situation where we needed to get spanked."

Plano's Joseph Fulce had a game-high 19 points and kept Plano in the game when he scored nine of the Wildcats' 14 points in the second quarter. His 3-pointer at the buzzer pulled Plano to within 24-22.

Fulce was the only Wildcat to score in double figures, marking the first time this season that Plano has had only one player in double figures. Point guard Brandon Ware finished with nine points.

Center Eric Zastoupil and forward Travis Vance, who entered the game averaging 12.1 and 11.5 points, were held to a season-low four points apiece.

South Garland offered a more balanced attack, led by Terrell Harris' 18 points. He was one of three Colonels to score in double figures.

Ironically, South Garland's third quarter 9-0 run came on two 3-pointers by Keith Huggins and another by Greg Boyd. It would be the only points they scored in the game. South Garland had an 8-1 advantage on 3-pointers.

"We challenged the 3s each time," Inman said. "They just knocked them down."

The Wildcats return to South Garland this weekend to play in the South Garland Shootout. They will play Pine Bluff, Ark., at 7:30 p.m. Friday and North Garland at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.