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WEB EXCLUSIVE: VERSUS
BY Matt Welch and Kevin Hageland, Staff Writers
Plano West at Wylie (Boys Basketball)
Matt’s Pick: Plano West
While a win here would lock up the district’s No. 2 spot for Plano West, the most immediate difference between tonight’s matchup with Wylie and the one on Jan. 19 is that the Wolves will have their top scorer present in junior Deshon Portley.
If Wylie has any prayer, getting more than six points from senior Antwan Scott is a good place to start, but even at that, the weapons are far more varied for West. The teams that have upended a Jeffcoat-manned West team this season have a degree of balance in their style and output and unfortunately for the Pirates, neither applies to them.
Kevin’s Pick: Plano West
Seeing as though my Mr. Basketball theory was disproved two weeks ago when Wylie lost to Plano Senior, I can no longer support the endeavors of Antwan Scott and the rest of the Pirates.
I’m not saying there needs to be some dramatic ceremony where they rip the Mr. Basketball patch off Scott’s letterman jacket and burn it in a flaming trash can, but Wylie will suffer the indignity of defeat tonight.
This is the last game of the regular season for Plano West. And after losing a game to Jesuit they should have won and pulling out an overtime victory against Plano East, the Wolves are looking to make a statement heading into the playoffs. That makes Wylie the sacrificial lamb.
Focus on guard play tonight as West continues to work junior Deshon Portley back into the fold. Everyone knows about the twin towers of senior Jackson Jeffcoat and junior Geoffrey Groselle, but it is the play of Portley and senior point guard Mike Jahner that will be the Wolves X Factor in the postseason.
Allen at Plano East (Boys Basketball)
Matt’s Pick: Plano East
Not that it’s a consolation prize for the team’s current four-game losing streak, but Plano East just might be the best 3-7 team to ever grace District 8-5A.
This is a team that has lost four district games by four points or less, including road overtime losses to Jesuit and Plano West. The talent is still there, as is the Panthers’ rangy athleticism. And while a postseason berth might be unattainable, a measure of retribution against Allen isn’t.
The image of Allen junior Page Beeler’s buzzer-beating layup in a game East trailed sparingly in was a tough pill to swallow for the Panthers. That being said, East has the size and aggression in its backcourt to frustrate Allen and is capable of doing the same inside.
Lest we forget when playing at home, East has shown capable of beating an opponent the caliber of Jesuit. It’s just a question of whether or not the team is there mentally after taking it on the chin one too many times lately.
Kevin’s Pick: Allen
A compelling argument could be made that Allen’s buzzer-beating victory over Plano East three and a half weeks ago is why the Panthers will win tonight. In fact, that argument is probably being made on the other side of this column right now.
But while East is probably the best 3-7 team in the history of this district, or any other for that matter, Allen will win tonight’s game.
The Panthers are out of the playoff picture, but still playing for pride behind head coach Doug Bleadorn and a cavalcade of seniors.
That is admirable, but Allen is playing for much more: specifically the Eagles first playoff berth since 2000. That’s a long time in the making for seniors like Channing Pozniak and Cameron Coleman.
Allen simply needs one more win or a Plano Senior loss to qualify for the postseason for the first time in a decade. The Wildcats are off tonight and the Eagles aren’t going to want to wait until the last day of the regular season to take care of business.
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