01:16 AM CST on Tuesday, December 28, 2004
By C. ANTHONY MOSSER / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

PLANO – In a game that featured extended runs by both teams, Plano put together the decisive one at the outset of overtime and parlayed it into a 79-71 win over Mesquite in the quarterfinals of the Plano Wildcat Holiday Classic on Monday. Juniors Joseph Fulce and Eric Zastoupil scored five points apiece during Plano's 10-2 run at the outset of overtime. Mesquite (8-8) never recovered.

Plano plays South Grand Prairie in a semifinal at 6:45 p.m. today. South Grand Prairie advanced with a 65-63 win over Lake Highlands. Cedar Hill (15-1), the top-ranked team in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 5A poll, will play North Mesquite in the semifinal at 5 p.m.

Whereas Fulce, who finished with 23 points, and Zastoupil (15 points) took care of matters late, junior point guard Brandon Ware's heady play was instrumental in Plano battling back from a 10-point deficit early in the third quarter. Ware had a season-high 17 points. His quick hands on defense also produced three second-half steals. Plano led by as many as seven in the fourth quarter.

"I thought Brandon Ware did a great job defensively tonight," Plano coach Tom Inman said.

Plano's Ryan Manack (11 points) and Travis Vance (10) also scored in double figures.

Mesquite's DeVon Mosley finished with a team-high 21 points, including three 3-pointers. Josh Hutchins added 11 for the Skeeters, including a pull-up jumper with eight seconds left in regulation that forced the overtime.

In other Classic quarterfinals:

Cedar Hill 50, Rockwall 36: Cedar Hill (15-1), the state's top-ranked 5A team, raced to a 31-21 halftime lead and cruised past Rockwall. Elijah Brydson led Cedar Hill with 16 points, including two 3-pointers in the second quarter.

South Grand Prairie 65, Lake Highlands 63: Junior guard Demoyas Baker's buzzer-beating, four-foot runner lifted South Grand Prairie past Lake Highlands. Baker finished with 12 points, including the Warriors' final four of the game.

North Mesquite 72, Denton Ryan 66 (2 OT): Stephen Thomas scored 20 of his game-high 22 points after halftime, lifting North Mesquite past Denton Ryan. North Mesquite (7-11), which beat Carrollton Creekview 44-37 in the first round, rallied from an early 11-point deficit against Ryan.

Nic Cantrell scored 20 points for North Mesquite. Thomas and Cantrell combined for 10 of North Mesquite's 12 points in the second overtime.

In first-round games:

Rockwall 40, Garland Naaman Forest 36: Rockwall overcame a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Eddie Gloviak led Rockwall with 11 points.

Lake Highlands 84, Rowlett 61: Michael Bertrand scored half of his team-high 16 points in the second quarter, leading Lake Highlands past Rowlett. Josh Carter scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half, and Travis Wylie hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter and had 13 points.

Mesquite 67, Arlington Sam Houston 62: DeVon Mosley scored 15 of his 24 points in the first half, and Mesquite held off a late rally by Sam Houston.