By Andrew Snyder Staff Writer - Plano Star -
Created: Wednesday, December 30, 2008 4:51 PM CST

PLANO - Plano Senior has been playing uneven basketball recently.

The Wildcats followed their lowest scoring game of the season with one of their highest, and a three-game winning streak with four consecutive losses.

After such turbulence, it must have been a relief for all involved in Plano basketball to see the team come out, play solid throughout and walk away with a 53-43 win over Colleyville Heritage Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the State Farm Wildcat Holiday Classic.

“That’s what we needed,” said Phil Parlin, Plano head coach. “An understanding of what it takes to win at this level.”

The Wildcats controlled the game’s momentum throughout, and never more so than when the Panthers seemed about to take it.

Plano had a 13-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Defense had decided the game so far for the Wildcats and defense continued to rule, but this time it chose against them. Continuing on a trend that had appeared a few minutes and one quarter earlier, the Panthers shut down the Wildcats playmakers and put points of their own on the board. After taking the first two of the fourth, Heritage drew fouls and lessened the Wildcats lead through free throws, building up to an inside drive by Sean Swords that sent the Panthers crowd into hysterics and dropped Plano’s advantage to five.

But worrisome as the point spread was becoming, Plano could rest on the lead it had built. A game after the 34 point theatrics of senior Rex Burkhead, who had a more moderate 11 points in this game, the Wildcats won the fundamental way and courtesy of things as routine as running the whole playbook.

“We ran through our plays and got through them,” said Brandon Bailey, Plano junior.

Two points from Burkhead, free throws from sophomores Julian Okoro and Rashad Smith and a timely pass from sophomore Clayton Parlin, who recently took the point guard spot off injured senior Dalton Sullivan, to a wide-open Bailey for two kept the Wildcats ahead while their defense tired out Heritage.

The Panthers run that had looked so promising was steadily derailed. Closing in on the final score, Heritage started fouling and pushed themselves most of the way back to their previous deficit.

It was the result expected after Plano’s performance in the opening half. After a few failed Panthers pushes inside it was clear that there was no room for two big cats within the key. Plano’s height came into full effect against Heritage as rebound after rebound went the Wildcats way.

“We were crushing the boards,” Smith said.

And Plano was able to take advantage of the extra opportunities. In a noteworthy play Smith rebounded a missed Wildcats shot, passed it on and scored when the ball came back around to him. He was fouled en route to the basket and took the free throw given to move Plano to a 6-5 lead.

In the ensuing possessions, the Wildcats added to the difference: Bailey plowed his way through the Panthers defense to the basket, Parlin aced a three-pointer and junior Jake Martin, who Parlin said had “played his best game in quite a while,” strung together a rebound and score to end the first quarter 15-10 Plano.

“We had a lot of intensity,” Smith said. “We knew we had to get on them early.”

But after adding one more point to their lead in the second, courtesy of a Burkhead free throw, Plano allowed Heritage to take it to a tie. The Panthers reversed their shooting and driving trends in a two-play succession as Kelly Wise pushed inside for two and Swords made a three-pointer. Another Plano free throw and Heritage basket later the score was 17-17.

Accounting for the majority of Heritage’s scoring momentum was Chris McComber, with 18 points and Swords, who posted 13. The Wildcats spread their scoring more evenly across the team, given them varied outlets for their points and a whole roster that kept the Panthers busy.

“We played much better when the tempo was up,” Parlin said.

And those were the times when things fell apart for the Panthers. It was the same rhythm as the last two quarters: Wildcats lead big, Panthers come back, Panthers can’t sustain and Wildcats come back. Smith moved two baskets closer to his status as Plano’s lead scorer, 13 points, and went on to string together a two-quarter Wildcats run by opening the second half as he had the first—by plowing through Heritage defenders to the basket.

“Before its all said and done,” Parlin said. “[Smith] will be one of the best basketball players Plano has ever had.”

The Panthers tried a similar move, but Burkhead reached out and pushed the ball back Plano’s way to reaffirm the inside as Wildcats territory. Okoro and Parlin furthered Plano’s lead to 37-19 and added their hands to a Wildcats pushback of the Panthers offense.

Plano, which defeated Rowlett 75-64 in the opening round of the event, faced Mesquite in the tournament semifinals Tuesday night, results were not available at press time. Plano will return to the court at either 6:30 p.m. today for the third place game or at 8 p.m. for the Wildcat Holiday Classic Championship.

Bailey would obviously prefer the latter.

“There’s nothing better than winning on our own floor,” he said.