BY Kevin Hageland Staff Writer - Plano Star -
Published: Friday, November 20, 2009 11:15 PM CST

PLANO - As evidenced by the overflow crowd and the fans storming the court when the clock ran down to zero, Friday was anything but a typical non-district basketball game.

Which makes sense since Plano Senior and Prestonwood Christian Academy aren’t typical foes.

The former led for most of the second half, but it was the size and clutch free throw shooting of the latter that turned out to be the difference as the Lions won the game, 68-61.

“It was crazy out there tonight,” said Julius Randle, Prestonwood freshman. “Our crowd was our sixth man.”

The crowd may have been crazy, but Randle, who led all players with 22 points and 14 rebounds, was able to keep his composure down the stretch as he hit several fourth quarter free throws to keep the Lions in front. Proficiency from the stripe, where the Lions held an advantage of more than 2-to-1, was key for the Lions as they hit 14-of-16 free throws to close the game.

“The two things we hit on at halftime were free throws and turnovers,” said Brad Freeman, Prestonwood head coach. “I felt like we were doing well in every other area, but those two things were letting Plano back in the game.”

Despite foul trouble for sophomore Zach Peters throughout the night, Prestonwood was able to establish a lead as large as nine points in the first half thanks to a suffocating defensive effort that forced many off-balance Plano looks. The Wildcats shaved seven points off their deficit, making it 29-27 at the break, thanks to a late second quarter run after Peters picked up his third foul.

The Lions lead wouldn’t last long.

Plano senior Brandon Bailey opened the second half with a three-pointer to give the Wildcats their first lead of the night at 30-29. Junior Rashad Smith, another top-ranked prospect along with Peters and Randle, dropped in a subsequent mid-range jumper to force Prestonwood to call the first timeout of the night.

Smith, who led the Wildcats with 21, poured in the points as the court and Plano’s lead opened up.

“Rashad did a great job tonight,” said Phil Parlin, Plano head coach. “When he fouled out, I told him how proud I was of him; he’s the real deal.”

It appeared as though Plano would be ready to put things away with 4:29 to go in the third quarter as the Wildcats amassed a 38-32 lead and Peters, who had eight points and nine rebounds, picked up his fourth foul.

But Prestonwood proved it wasn’t all about post play as the guard tandem of senior Jason Pospichal and freshman Marquan Botley heated up. Pospichal, setting himself up outside the three-point arc, ended the night with 16 points while the slashing Botley had 17.

The Lions pulled within 45-43 through three quarters.

And as was the case going into the third, the team trailing going into the fourth would end up ahead. The final frame featured two ties and five lead changes. Prestonwood turned a four-point deficit into a four-point lead with an 8-0 run that capped off with 3:41 left in the game. Plano, which got nine points and nine rebounds from senior Jake Martin, moved within two points on multiple occasions, but no closer as the Lions closed out the game from the line, winning 68-61.

“What we want to do is put our team in the best position they can be in,” Freeman said. “We don’t want to just be the best in our district or our classification; we want to be considered one of the best teams in the state at any level.”

Prestonwood took another step toward that goal by beating Plano, but the Wildcats ended the evening satisfied as well.

“I like where we’re at right now,” Parlin said. “I’ll sleep a lot better tonight than I did Tuesday night.”