12/29/2005
By BRIAN PORTER, Staff writer

PLANO - This won't go down as one of the more memorable games to take place in the Wildcat Holiday Classic, but maybe it should.

Plano scored two field goals in the second half, the second coming on its first possession of the fourth period, and scored fewer points in the second half than in either period during the first half and still found a way Thursday to defeat Denton Ryan, 46-41, in a semifinal at the Plano Activity Center gymnasium. "It was very much like old Plano basketball," Plano coach Tom Inman said. "I felt it was one of our best defensive efforts all year."

Plano (10-6, 0-1 in District 8-5A) used a grind-it-out defensive effort to make a return appearance in the Wildcat Holiday Classic championship game. Mesquite defeated Flower Mound Marcus in the other semifinal and will meet Plano at 7:30 p.m. today in the championship.

Stan Hicks, who restarted the annual tournament in the early 1990s, believes no team has ever won the tournament in consecutive years. Plano won the championship in 2004 and played won the consolation championship in 2003.

Freshman Rex Burkhead got his first start for Plano, following a successful run with the football team which compiled its third best start in school history. He had three points and impacted the defensive tempo of the game.

"His teammates know this start was not a gift to Rex," said Inman, of an athlete he describes as having Davy Crockett-like mythical tales - most probably told by his older brother Ryan - before he played a down of varsity football. "He's a good defender and has pretty good court awareness. He played in a Final 8 football game and now he's playing top-level basketball."

Point guard John Roberson scored in every period and registered a game-high 16 points. He was only overshadowed by a three-minute stretch from Lawrence Mann.

The Plano senior hit a pair of jumpers and a free throw during an 11-0 Plano run to close the first period with a 32-17 advantage.

Roberson and Cody Jones scored the only field goals of the second half. Plano converted 9-of-14 free throws in the final 3:01 of the fourth period and 10-of-18 in the second half to hold off Denton Ryan.

Plano controlled the semifinal from the onset as Roberson hit three-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor for a 6-0 advantage. Burkhead scored all three of his points in the first period and Eric Zastoupil added nine for a 15-9 edge.

Mann and Nate Christian each scored all five of their points in the second quarter as Plano went on a 17-8 run. Denton Ryan didn't help its case with a 6-3 advantage in the third period.

Denton Ryan will meet Flower Mound Marcus in the third-place game at 6 p.m. today, preventing a meeting in the championship between a pair of District 8-5A teams.

North Garland and Naaman Forest will meet at 1 p.m. in the consolation championship game.