December 30, 2006
By KEVIN HAGELAND Staff Writer / Plano Star

PLANO - After trailing for the majority of the game, Plano used a 12-1 run at the start off the fourth quarter to defeat Lake Highlands, 80-73, and capture the Wildcat Holiday Classic title.

The first quarter moved at a frenetic pace as there were multiple lead changes and ties before Plano moved ahead 9-7. At that point though, Lake Highlands went on a 7-0 run to take a five-point lead and force Plano to call the first timeout of the game with 2:13 remaining in the first quarter.

Lake Highlands held that edge throughout the remainder of the quarter, leading by three points, before Aaron Willmon sank a three-pointer with seven seconds left to put Lake Highlands up by six points as the first came to an end.

Down by eight points early in the second quarter, Plano senior John Roberson hit a three-pointer to bring his team to within five points. The shot, which came with 7:08 left in the half, were Roberson’s first points of the game.

That bucket broke a 7-0 spurt by Lake Highlands and started a 6-0 run for Plano, which cut their deficit to two points. That is until Willmon made another three-pointer with 5:44 remaining to put Lake Highlands back up by five points.

In fact, Lake Highlands would go up by as many as nine points before Plano started its comeback. The defending state champions went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 32-32.

One of the baskets in Plano’s run came when senior Landon Skinner, who was named to the all-tournament team, got a steal and drove to the basket, making his shot while being fouled. After the shot, Skinner pumped his fist in excitement.

“Once one person on this team gets fired up, it seems to get everyone else fired up,” Skinner said. “So that’s what I was trying to do.”

After being down by as many as nine earlier in the second quarter, Plano went into the locker room down 40-36.

“I told the guys that I can talk all I want, but they are the ones that have to make the adjustments,” Plano head coach Tom Inman said. “We started playing behind the post more in the second half and I think that was one of the keys to the game.”

Early in the second half it appeared as though Lake Highlands was doing a better job of making the necessary adjustments as they started the third quarter on a 7-1 run. That allowed Lake Highlands to build a 10-point advantage, their biggest of the game, with 5:13 left in the quarter.

Part of the reason Plano fell behind was due to the shooting struggles of Roberson, who was 5-of-17 from the field on the night, but that was about to change.

Willmon, who had 17 points on the evening, made a three to put Lake Highlands up by nine points, but Roberson, who was also part of the all-tournament team, came right back down the court and nailed a three-pointer with 3:03 left.

That bucket was the start of a 9-2 run which brought Plano to within two points of Lake Highlands. As the third quarter came to a close, Lake Highlands held a four-point lead, but the game’s momentum was about to change once more.

“We knew that we only had eight minutes left, so we had to give it everything we had,” Skinner said. “We have always been a good offensive team, but we knew it was time to D up.”

And Plano did just that, stopping Lake Highlands on the offensive end and forcing multiple turnovers en route to putting together a 12-1 run. A free throw by Plano senior Greg Harrell put the team up, 57-56, which was their first lead since it was 9-7.

By the end of the run, Plano led 64-57. Although Lake Highlands was able to get three points on the free throw line earlier in the quarter, the team didn’t make its first shot from the field until there were less than three minutes to go in the game.

With 1:23 remaining in the championship, Skinner drove to the hoop, making the basket and getting fouled in the process. Skinner had 15 points and seven rebounds in the game.

The free throw gave Plano a 76-66 lead and appeared to put the game away. But Lake Highlands wasn’t finished just yet.

Lake Highlands would score the next seven points to cut their deficit to three with 18 seconds left. Lake Highlands’ run was capped off after Clifton Leake got his only points of the game on a three-pointer.

That would be as close as Lake Highlands would get though, as Plano made its free throws down the stretch to secure the victory. Roberson, who led all scorers with 26 points, was particularly effective from the line, making 14-of-15 shots.

“This almost felt like a playoff game; everything was so intense and there was a great atmosphere,” Inman said. “As great as this win is though, I would trade it for a win on Tuesday.”

That’s because these two teams will meet at Plano once more, this time on Tuesday evening, in a District 9-5A game. Whichever Wildcats squad wins that game, they will go to 2-0 in district play. And that may be the real prize.