07:31 PM CST on Saturday, December 30, 2006

By DAVID HINOJOSA / The Dallas Morning News

PLANO – Lake Highlands' big third quarter didn't come by accident.

Lake Highands erased a one-point halftime deficit by playing aggressive on both ends of the floor. The effort produced a 21-6 third-quarter swing that allowed Lake Highlands to take control on its way to a 69-53 victory against Mesquite in the semifinals of the Plano Wildcat Holiday Classic on Friday.

Lake Highlands sank 13 of 16 free throws (compared to 2 of 2 for Mesquite) and produced numerous scoring opportunities in transition during the third quarter. That's exactly the way Lake Highlands coach Rob Wylie hoped his team would respond.

"We felt like we needed to be aggressive," said Wylie, whose team took a commanding 52-38 lead after three quarters. "We felt like we had some guys who could put those things together."

Mesquite (12-2), whose other loss came to nationally-ranked Duncanville, was held scoreless for the final six minutes of the third quarter and made only six field goals in the second half.

Cameron Johnson, a Texas State signee, led Lake Highlands (13-5) with 26 points. Point guard Aaron Willmon, who also delivered a defensive spark, finished with 16 points.

Mesquite led by six points with 5:06 remaining in the second quarter, but Lake Highlands finished the quarter on a 17-8 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from Willmon, Daniel Youman and Alex Conwell (at the buzzer).

Lake Highlands will play Plano in the tournament final at 7:15 p.m. today. They'll meet again Tuesday at Plano in a District 9-5A contest.

Plano rallies past South Grand Prairie: After trailing for most of the second half, Plano finished strong and squeezed out a 57-56 victory in the semifinals. South Grand Prairie's Lindsey Hughey knocked in what appeared to be a game-tying 3-pointer at the final buzzer. One official ruled it a 3-pointer, but another said Hughey's foot was on the line when he took the shot and overruled the call.

South Grand Prairie coach Scott Parlin didn't protest the call at the time. After reviewing the shot on tape, he said he couldn't tell if Hughey's foot was on the line. He also said he didn't think there was enough evidence to overrule the call.

South Grand Prairie (14-2), ranked fifth in SportsDay's Class 5A poll, led by as many as six points in the third quarter and had a 50-48 advantage at the 3:48 mark of the fourth before third-ranked Plano went on a 7-0 run to take the lead for good. John Roberson hit a big 3-point shot and two free throws in the final 2:09 to help secure the game. Roberson, who was held scoreless in the first quarter, finished with a game-high 31 points.

"To be able to go on that kind of run when it mattered the most, that's what I like about this team," Plano coach Tom Inman said.

E-mail dhinojosa@dallasnews.com