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East Diggs in against Wolves (VIDEO)

By Kevin Hageland, Staff Writer

Published: Saturday, January 26, 2008 1:39 AM CST

Watch Video

The third time is supposed to be the charm.

But Friday night it just meant more of the same for Plano West as the Wolves were defeated by Plano East, 77-67.

And while the Panthers defeated the Wolves for a third time during the 2007-08 season, the way it came about was much different than the first two meetings.

“I told the guys at the half that we were in the same boat (down by double digits) that East was in during the first two games,” said Anthony Morgan, West head coach. “We made a little push to start the third quarter, but every time we plugged a hole another one popped up.”

East senior Anthony Hill got things started with a three-pointer and gave the Panthers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish all night. And part of that, at least early on, was thanks to senior Mike Uwaga, who had four blocked shots and a three in the first quarter.

“[Uwaga] knocked down a three and made some big plays inside,” Morgan said. “He really set the pace early.”

East led, 7-5, in the first quarter before going on an 8-0 run that was punctuated by another trifecta from Hill, who had 15 points on the night. After a West timeout, sophomore Jackson Jeffcoat got the Wolves back on track with a dunk, which represented the first West points not scored by junior Tyler Melville.

Another West, Plano East senior John, ended the quarter on a high note for the Panthers as he drove through the lane and dropped in a shot with two seconds left to give East a 22-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

West started the second with six unanswered points, but East responded with a six-point run of its own as senior Quincy Diggs, who led all scorers with 29 points, began to heat up.

“Quincy was unbelievable tonight,” said Doug Bleadorn, East head coach. “He was driving to the basket and shooting well; he gave us a big shot in the arm.”

East got its first field goal of the second quarter when senior Kevin Smith hit a bucket with 4:04 remaining. That score was followed by a West turnover and a three from Diggs. The score stood at 29-21 before Diggs reeled off the final seven points of the quarter to give East a 36-21 lead at halftime. The Panthers finished the half with a 13-3 spurt.

A week earlier, Diggs pointed out after a win against Allen that the Panthers had so many players that could step up in any one game.

“And tonight it was me,” he said. “I don’t know what it is, but West is my favorite team to play against.”

Diggs scored 39 points combined in the previous two East-West games this season.

The second half was played at a quicker pace as West started the third quarter on a 9-2 run. Sophomore Bakari Turner closed the run by assertively grabbing a rebound and throwing an outlet pass to senior Wilson Neely, who had seven points and eight rebounds, for the lay-in with 4:21 left.

With its lead down to nine points, Diggs quickly put the Panthers back in front by 13 with a pair of threes sandwiched around a West basket.

“At the half, we didn’t tell the guys to stall, but we wanted to make sure we took good shots and made West play defense,” Bleadorn said. “West made a run, but we were able to stem the tide with some of ours subs, like Quincy and Dominique (Rogers, a senior).”

The frenetically paced third quarter came to an end when West senior Jimmie Jones drained a deep shot for three of his team-high 16 points. The Wolves continued to make baskets throughout the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get closer as they were unable to stop the Panthers’ offense.

East’s lead remained at nine points when Hill dished to a wide open Grayson Carroll, with the junior draining a three-pointer. Threes from Hill and Diggs pushed the Panthers lead up to 17, the biggest of the night, as West called timeout with 3:59 remaining.

The Wolves closed the gap somewhat, but a thunderous slam by Smith brought the East crowd, which was raucous all night, to their feet and sent an equally boisterous group of West fans to the exit.

The Panthers West had 15 points and nine rebounds on the night as East the 77-67 victory and a share of the District 9-5A lead; along with the Wolves, who got 15 points and 10 boards from Jeffcoat. After losing three straight games, the Panthers have won five in a row.

“After we lost three in a row, we all said we weren’t going to lose anymore,” Diggs said. “I am 100 percent confident we can sweep the rest of our games and win district.”

West without Self, Marshall

Morgan didn’t have any excuses following the game, but West played Friday night without seniors Darell Marshall and Ross Self.

Morgan declined to comment on why Marshall didn’t play, but he was in the stands for the game and several West parents said the point guard was out due to a grade issue.

Self felt ill during the afternoon and attempted to play Friday night, but was unable to. After leaving the court, Self had to be taken to the hospital and given an IV to treat dehydration.

“Ross was very sick,” Morgan said. “He is a big link for us and not having him forced us to change some things; but hats off to East for their performance tonight.”

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