12/29/2004
By: Brian Porter

PLANO - Ryan Manack had another stellar game off the bench, while Joseph Fulce and Travis Vance had matching game-high totals Tuesday to lift Plano past South Grand Prairie, 65-56, in a semifinal game in the Wildcat Holiday Classic at the Plano Activity Center.

Plano (13-3, 1-0) will meet Cedar Hill (14-1) at 7 p.m. today in the tournament championship game. Cedar Hill, the No. 1 team in the boys Class 5A TABC state poll, defeated North Mesquite in the other semifinal game.

"I'm jacked about playing the No. 1 team in the state," Plano coach Tom Inman said. "Seeing what they do, I think you'll see almost a mirror image of us."

Manack entered the game late in the fourth quarter and pushed a 56-52 lead with 2:36 remaining into a decisive win over South Grand Prairie.

The senior guard, who plays as the sixth man, immediately converted a three-point play to stretch the lead to 59-52. He pulled down a defensive board on the other end of the floor, sprinted to the frontcourt and assisted a Fulce field goal for a 61-52 advantage. Manack converted 3-of-3 free throws down the stretch.

"He makes so many plays," Inman said. "He goes up big like a post on the boards."

Plano had 12 points from the bench, with Manack totaling seven, and three starters scored in double figures. Fulce and Vance each had 16 points. Eric Zastoupil had 12.

With a mixture of bench players playing considerable minutes, Plano rested its starters in preparation for its third game in three days. It prevented Plano from ever taking control of the game until the fourth period.

Plano's first six-point advantage came on a Vance field goal on the second possession of overtime. Vance also scored two field goals inside the final two minutes of the third period. It resulted in a 44-40 advantage before South Grand Prairie struck to close the period.

The lead was the largest for Plano since holding a 14-9 advantage midway through the first period.

"Travis has been so good all year," Inman said. "I think people underestimate him."

The performance came as Fulce struggled. The highly-regarded junior had just six points across the first three periods before scoring 10 points in the fourth period. Fulce left an impression on a fourth-period possession in which he took a pass inside and went up strong to the hoop for free throws.

"I think he's starting to roll a little bit from finesse to power," Inman said.

Plano made a point to play Landon Skinner in a bench role. The sophomore had mostly enjoyed time in decisive victories before entering in the first period.

"That came from something we talked about Monday. All he has played was the last two to three minutes of games," Inman said. "He will develop bad habits that way."

Cedar Hill's lone loss this season came at home to Plano East. The tournament will feature the host team, Plano, in the championship for the first time since 2001.

FINAL - Plano 65, S. Grand Prairie 56

SCOREBOARD
Teams	Qtr 1	Qtr 2	Qtr 3	Qtr 4	OT	Final
S. Grand Prairie	13	16	13	14	--	56
Plano	15	12	17	21	--	65

S. Grand Prairie - Toreyan Burns 12, Demoyas Baker 11, Kevin Young 8, Robert Ballard 6, Donell Lewis 6, Lindsey Hughey 5, Rodney Henderson 3, James Wright 3, Henry Martin 2.

Plano (13-3, 1-0) - Joseph Fulce 16, Travis Vance 16, Eric Zastoupil 12, Ryan Manack 7, Brandon Ware 5, Mark Foster 4, Lawrence Mann 3, Landon Skinner 2.



Plano 79, Mesquite 71 (OT)
Plano was nearly flawless in a four-minute overtime session to defeat Mesquite, 79-71, Monday in a quarterfinal round game in the Wildcat Holiday Classic at the Plano Activity Center.

The Wildcats opened overtime on a 6-0 run on a pair of three-point plays. Plano never trailed in overtime.

The Plano scoring total was its third-highest of the season and lifted Plano to a 2-0 overtime record this season. Plano had an opening-round bye.

The first period included seven lead changes. Plano went on a 10-0 run to start the second period, then Mesquite responded with a 12-0 run as the lead changed for the ninth time in the game. Plano committed turnovers on eight of their final 10 possessions of the first half.

The lead changed two more times early in the third period before Mesquite took a 41-31 lead. Plano countered with a 14-0 run. While the lead changed hands 12 times in the first three periods, Mesquite would not hold a lead in the final 12 minutes across the fourth period and regulation. Mesquite scored eight points on their final three possessions of regulation to force overtime.

FINAL - Plano 79, Mesquite 71 (OT)

SCOREBOARD
Teams	Qtr 1	Qtr 2	Qtr 3	Qtr 4	OT	Final
Plano	12	15	18	16	18	79
Mesquite	12	17	15	17	10	71

Plano (12-3, 1-0) -- Joseph Fulce 23, Brandon Ware 17, Eric Zastoupil 15, Ryan Manack 11, Travis Vance 10, Mark Foster 2, Lawrence Mann 1.

Mesquite -- DeVon Mosley 21, Josh Hutchins 11, J.J. Simpson 6, Ricky Burney 6, Josh Patton 5, Daniel Sasser 5, Lazerick Jones 5, Jock McMillan 4, John Duckworth 3, Dray Johnson 3, Chase Brisco 2.