01/19/2006
By JASON CHLAPEK, Staff writer

PLANO - The Plano boys basketball team has rediscovered its defensive prowess as of late.

The Wildcats didn't have the best shooting night Tuesday against Plano East, but they made defensive stops and shots when they had to en route to a 53-49 victory at Archie E. McAfee Gymnasium.

"We shot better in the first half, but played better defense in the second," Plano coach Tom Inman said. "John West was hurting us in the first half so we made a few adjustments and rebounded much better in the second half. We didn't let him get many second chances in the second half and we put a hand in their faces when they attempted three-pointers, too."

Plano (15-7, 5-1 in District 8-5A) took sole possession of first place with the win and Flower Mound's 38-36 loss at The Colony. Fittingly, the Wildcats host The Colony at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Plano Activity Center gymnasium.

A win gives Plano a six-game winning streak heading into its rematch against Plano West Tuesday. Plano West handed Plano its only 8-5A loss Dec. 21.

Flower Mound, Flower Mound Marcus and Plano West are involved in a three-way tie for second with 4-2 district records. Plano West (15-7, 4-2) hosts Marcus (15-7, 4-2) and Plano East (14-6, 3-3) visits Flower Mound (16-9, 4-2). Both games are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The Wildcats only scored seven points in the third period and the final four minutes of the period were scoreless for both teams. Plano led 37-34 heading into the final period.

In the third, West was held scoreless, but Kola Alade and Anthony Hill each hit a three-pointer to keep Plano East close.

While West didn't have a strong inside presence in the second half, he still found a way to score in the fourth with a pair of three-pointers. His first three-pointer gave the Panthers a 40-39 lead before Plano used a 10-4 run to seize a 49-44 advantage with just more than a minute left in the contest.

West's second three-pointer made it 49-47, but a Lawrence Mann basket and a pair of John Roberson free throws clinched the win for Plano.

Mann and Eric Zastoupil were defensive standouts for Plano as each player pulled down seven rebounds. Roberson also did well defensively with a game-high five steals.

Mann, Roberson and Zastoupil were also the scoring leaders for Plano. Roberson scored 18, while Mann scored 16 and Zastoupil 10.

Plano East was led by West, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Hill scored 10 points.

Plano West was able to turn a close halftime deficit into a double-digit victory when it beat Allen, 58-47. The Wolves held the Eagles to eight points each in the first three periods.

For the third straight game, Jerrald Bonham reached double figures in scoring. He had 17 points Tuesday.