01:31 AM CST on Thursday, December 30, 2004
By C. ANTHONY MOSSER / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

PLANO – The last time Plano won its Wildcat Holiday Classic – in 2001 – it followed it up by losing a district game.

Cedar Hill (16-2) was No. 1 in the state in Class 5A in the latest Texas Association of Basketball Coaches state poll.

"I told the guys to enjoy it, but when you come back to practice don't even remember if you won or lost," Inman said.

To that end, Inman has scheduled an 8 a.m. practice today. The players knew not to expect any grace period with the bulk of District 8-5A play forthcoming. Plano (14-3) opened district play with a win over Plano West last week.

"We can't settle," said junior point guard Brandon Ware, who was named to the all-tournament team "We've got Flower Mound Marcus coming up and we know they're a very good team. We feel good about beating Cedar Hill, but we're not going to celebrate too long."

The win over Cedar Hill helped legitimize Plano's playoff and district title hopes. The Wildcats showed the ability to handle Cedar Hill's pressure, and a 2-3 zone kept Cedar Hill from getting the ball inside in what was a defensive struggle.

Torrid 3-point shooting doomed Plano in losses to Irving, South Garland and North Mesquite, but Cedar Hill made just 1-of-16 3-pointers while Plano had the edge inside.

Joseph Fulce, a 6-6 junior, led Plano in scoring in all three of its wins and was named the tournament's most valuable player. He tossed in 15 against Cedar Hill. Eric Zastoupil, a 6-8 junior center, added 13 points. Both also helped the Wildcats get the ball upcourt against Cedar Hill's pressure.

Plano made 16 turnovers, Cedar Hill had 18. Many of the miscues for both teams were products of trying to get the ball inside or offensive fouls.

"They didn't get the opportunity to get any spurts because we didn't have many brutal turnovers, the kind that lead to easy points," Inman said.

The ball-handling of guards Ware, Ryan Manack and Mark Foster was instrumental in that regard. Plano also got solid play off the bench from 6-3 forward Lawrence Mann, who saw extended minutes because Zastoupil and Travis Vance got into foul trouble. Mann had four points, but his interior defense was even more important.

"Lawrence is a good enough post player to start for a lot of teams," Inman said. "We're fortunate that we get to bring him off the bench."

Inman is hopeful Plano's ability to prevail against such a tough team will prove beneficial in district play, but knows that is no guarantee. "We can't have any slippage," he said.

Additional Note...
Brandon Ware (3) and Plano beat Bishop Wheatley and top-ranked Cedar Hill for the Wildcat Holiday Classic championship, but it's back to work today for the Wildcats. With what figures to be a key District 8-5A game with Flower Mound Marcus looming Tuesday, Plano coach Tom Inman doesn't want his team resting on its most recent triumph, a 47-38 victory Wednesday over Cedar Hill in the final of the Wildcat Holiday Classic.