Saturday, December 22, 2006
By Cory J. Mageors, Staff Writer / Plano Star

PLANO - So what was the most important play of Plano’s 92-83 double overtime Plano victory over Allen Friday night?

It wasn’t when senior John Roberson made a shot while tripping as the final seconds ticked off the clock before halftime.

It wasn’t the break away steal that Roberson put away for two points, giving the Wildcats an 84-80 lead in the second period of overtime.

It wasn’t even the full-court pass from Allen junior Jeff Campbell to senior Ryan Shrum, who made an easily uncontested lay-up to put Allen up 69-66 with 44 seconds in regulation.

Quite possibly the biggest play of the night was a dribble-drive by Plano senior Landon Skinner, who dropped the ball off to Roberson just behind the three-point line.

No matter that four Allen players draped themselves all-over the three-time state champion Roberson, he still got the three-point shot off.

“I was right behind John in line with his shot and it was dead on,” said Tom Inman, Plano head coach.

Though the shot was in line, it fell just short and Plano was still down 76-73. But, the Eagles fouled Roberson and put him on the line for three free throws. And Roberson couldn’t have made them look any easier, even if he would have turned his back to the goal and closed his eyes.

As the Allen faithful stomped and made any noise they could, Roberson nailed three in a row to tie the game at 70-70 with 2.5 seconds in regulation play.

“They were lucky he didn’t nail that three and make it a four point play,” Inman said. “This kid is special; he is un-guardable on the high school level. John is an absolute warrior on the court.”

Not to take anything away from the rest of his team, but Roberson did manage to score 36 points, which was 10 more than any other player on the court. He also made some of the biggest plays of the night.

However, both Plano and Allen showed exceptional fortitude on the court, as neither team would roll-over and die.

“I really have to give it to both teams out there tonight,” Inman said. “Allen had a window of opportunity; they could have put us away. They also made some exceptional shots to keep themselves in it late in the game. I’ll tell you what though, my guys proved that they are fighters and they will go all 15 rounds with you.”

Down the stretch, the game wasn’t simply the “Roberson Show.”

As each possession became more valuable, Plano players continually stepped up and made impact plays.

Senior Raahul Ramakrishnan stretched his 6-foot-4 frame across the Allen gym floor to keep the ball in Plano’s hands early in the second overtime. Then, from his back, Ramakrishnan passed the ball to Skinner who drove to the lane and drew a foul.

Skinner finished the night with 17 points and made six huge free-throws in the final minutes of the game.

As Allen substituted fresh legs with senior Tyler Whyte, Plano senior Greg Harrell made a put-back under the rim to combat four quick points by Whyte.

Quite possibly, the most amazing shot of the night came at the close of the first overtime though.

Allen was down by three points when Campbell who finished the night with 19 points, nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 76-76, sending it into double overtime.

The entire gym fell quite for a moment before the shot hit, then Allen High School erupted. Allen fans cheered and Plano fans screamed in shock, but still smiled because of the entertainment.

“We lost our first district game last season,” Inman said. “I was scared throughout the night, but these guys made some huge hustle plays out there tonight. It was a game that could have gone either way very easily, and I hate that either team had to lose. It was just such an exciting game. But I am glad we are 1-0 in district right now.”

As both teams head into a five day break, 1-0 is just about as big as Roberson’s three free throws down the stretch.