February 23, 2007
By Cory J. Mageors, Staff Writer / Plano Star

GARLAND - GARLAND--In the first quarter of the Region II bi-district playoffs, featuring Plano and Carter, the Wildcats looked puzzled. Leading scorer senior John Roberson was held to five-of-12 shooting on the night and at the end of one quarter, they trailed by 11.

However, sophomore Rex Burkhead, kept Plano afloat, providing all of the Wildcats eight first quarter points, finishing with 21 points as the Wildcats clawed their way to a 59-56 victory over the Cowboys.

“Without Rex we wouldn’t have even been in this game tonight,” Roberson said. “He’s been big for us all year. Our chemistry is great because he knows how to move without the ball and does it very well.”

The Plano faithful provided a much needed crowd boost for the Wildcats, constantly cheering and lifting giving the players a reason to keep their heads up.

In return, Roberson and Burkhead combined for 36 points, bringing the Plano crowd to their feet often and providing a buzz of energy in the gymnasium at Garland Lakeview Centennial.

“If you paid money to see this game tonight, you got your money’s worth,” said head coach Tom Inman. “That game was amazing. It was a really big time game for us.”

Carter came out strong, as freshman guard Doward Evans nailed a three-pointer right of the gates. Moments later, sophomore Jarred Shaw wrestled a rebound from senior Adam Chisholm and put Carter ahead 5-0 with a put-back.

Plano finally cracked into the game with an inbound pass from senior Landon Skinner to Burkhead for a layup.

As Carter’s Evans missed a three, Roberson broke down the court, and drew three defenders. Sprinting down the right side of the court, Roberson found Burkhead coasting all alone in the paint dished for an easy layup.

Later Chisholm found Burkhead just beyond the free-throw line, for a jumper as Plano still trailed 7-6.

Carter came back down the court and Evans nailed a three-pointer sending the Cowboys on a 10-0 run and at the end of the first period, Plano trailed 19-8.

Carter’s defensive pressure was forcing Plano into turnovers around the basket as they stuck to Roberson’s hip and kept pressure on shooters around the basket.

“You had to make your decisions quick,” Burkhead said. “They kept doubling and I just kept finding spots to get open. But you had to react fast because those guys are quick and can jump and they put the pressure on you.”

In the second quarter, Roberson picked up his first points, with two free throws after being fouled by senior Phillip Bailey.

Bailey then came down the court, dribbled twice and nailed a three-pointer.

Roberson came back down the court and dished a no-look pass to Burkhead for his tenth point of the night. Then found him again at the top of the key to bring the Wildcats within eight.

Carter surged back and regained a 12 point lead, but junior Reggie Britton nailed a three with 3:40 remaining in the half that seemed to ignite the Wildcats offense.

On his sixth attempt, Roberson finally hit a jump shot, then Britton plucked a steal and passed forward to Burkhead who made an acrobatic lay-up and nailed the free throw.

Roberson later missed a shot, but Burkhead grabbed the rebound and kicked it out to Britton who hit another three and brought the Wildcats within 32-27, which would remain the score heading into the second half.

Burkhead had 14 points on his way to the locker room, and the Wildcats had a look of excitement in their eye.

“We’ve been down before,” Burkhead said. “We know what we have to do to come back in those situations.”

In the second half, the show continued.

After being called for a charge on the first play of the half, Roberson again found Burkhead in front of the basket to shrink the Carter lead to 32-29.

The Wildcats came within two points as Skinner sunk a pair of free throws, and Roberson picked off a pass and drove the court to tie the game at 38-38.

Both teams toyed with a tie, as Plano knotted the score and finished the third quarter at 44-44.

In the fourth quarter, the fans were treated to a show.

Bailey and Roberson would combine for the first 12 points of the fourth quarter pulling out an array of tricks.

“People are going to be talking about that battle for years to come,” Inman said. “The thing I like about coming from behind is that at some point they look up at the scoreboard and start playing not to lose. Those two guys had a good on right there though.”

Roberson accepted an inbound pass, dribbled between his legs twice and blew past the Carter defender to his left, giving Plano their first lead of the game at 46-44.

Then Roberson grabbed a rebound and hit a jumper, then scored again on a drive to the basket.

Bailey would answer back, nailing two three-pointers to combat Roberson’s six points.

The Wildcats began to stretch a lead, and with less than a minute on the clock, Landon Skinner forced a turnover to give the Wildcats possession.

“That was probably the most important play of the game right there,” Inman said. “Landon makes that play and it gives us the ball back with little time on the clock.”

With nine seconds remaining, down three, the Cowboys give the ball to Bailey who had 31 points on the night. As three Wildcats converged, Bailey tossed up a shot that grazed the side of the rim giving Plano the victory.

As the Wildcats head to the next round, they hope for a chance to play in the Regional Championship.

But as they get deeper, the competition is sure to get tougher.

“We’ve just got to come out better in the first half,” Roberson said. “We can’t dig ourselves into sucha big hole early in the game. But my teammates did a good job of stepping up tonight and taking the pressure off. We hustled and got a big win.”