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Best of the Best: A look back at District 8-5A boys basketball
BY Matt Welch and Kevin Hageland, Staff Writers
The past two years were a special time for the athletics wing of the Plano, Allen and Lewisville ISDs.
In joining forces under the District 8-5A umbrella, the schools of Plano East, Plano Senior, Plano West, Allen, Flower Mound, Flower Mound Marcus, Lewisville and Hebron combined for 28 UIL State Championships, many more state tournament or state meet appearances, a laundry list of all-state selections and an environment as competitive as any in the state.
As a way of paying homage to the past two years of district play, the Plano Star Courier will be running a retrospective series highlighting five of the best games played within 8-5A for football, volleyball, boys basketball, girls basketball, boys soccer, girls soccer, baseball and softball.
"When we saw we were going to be in that district, we couldn't believe it," said Phil Parlin, Plano head coach. "Great coaches, great programs and every night, you had to fight and compete.
"It was an honor to be in there and every win you got was gratifying."
Within district action, rivalries breathed new life during both the regular season and playoffs, with all manner of all-state and Division I-caliber talent contributing.
Here's a look back on the highlights (in chronological order) of the past two years.
Plano Senior defeats Plano West, 63-61
Jan. 14, 2011
It didn't take Plano's Rashad Smith long to shake off any rust accumulated by a midseason ankle injury in 2011.
In his second game back on the court, Smith piloted a road upset of West in dramatic fashion, complementing a game-tying bucket from teammate Terrence Cooper by intercepting the Wolves' ensuing inbound pass and laying in the game-winning basket with two seconds left.
"We called a timeout to set our defense," Parlin said. "My assistant Jeff Vines told them what he thought [West] might do when they inbounded the ball and sure enough, they did.
"He told Rashad how to sneak in and get that ball, and Rashad anticipated it well."
Smith's late heroics foiled a West comeback that saw it trail by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, led by 16 second-half points from DeShon Portley. The Wolves had been playing catch-up all night, leading 3-0 at the start and not possessing an advantage until 57-56 late in the final frame. Smith paced the Wildcats with 26 points.
"That was a crazy game," Parlin said. "West is such a big rival and there were so many people at that game. It was so noisy and that gym at Plano West echoes so loud and it's such a fun place to play."
Flower Mound Marcus defeats Plano West, 38-31 (3OT)
Jan. 25, 2011
The genesis for this national headline-making game, which was also Marcus' first triple-overtime contest, actually came from El Paso.
"Back when I coached in El Paso we had all the athletes," said Anthony Morgan, West head coach. "And any time we played (El Paso) Montwood they would always slow the game down and it frustrated me so much."
West slowed the tempo from the jump and held a 4-2 lead after the first quarter.
"That was not at all what we expected and I think it was a little frustrating," said Nick Banyard, who led Marcus with 16 points, after the game.
Chants of "boring," "shot clock" and "shoot the ball" echoed from the crowd.
"I was laughing on the inside because I had been on the other side of that tactic for years," Morgan said. "But that was the way to beat Marcus; we had to limit their possessions because they were too good and too efficient. And it worked; we frustrated them, but didn't finish it."
West's Deshon Portley, who led the team with 11 points, had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but was off the mark. The Wolves had the last shot with the game tied in the fourth quarter, first overtime and second overtime.
"If we make one of those shots," Morgan said, "then we send shockwaves through Texas."
Neither team made a field goal in the third overtime, but Marcus Smart made 7-of-8 free throws to seal the Marauders' 38-31 win.
Plano Senior defeats Allen, 76-72
Feb. 11, 2011
Playing their fourth game in five nights, this mid-February clash was as pivotal as any all season for the playoff hopes of Plano and Allen.
And while the latter had been a longstanding thorn in the side of the former, Plano's Austin Mitchell assured form didn't hold that Friday night en route to an overtime victory.
Despite finishing with just 19 points, Mitchell saved his heroics until they were needed most -- scoring the Wildcats' final 11 points and 15 of their final 17 overall. Mitchell did his damage from the charity stripe, where he at one point knocked down 10 consecutive free throws.
"[Mitchell] stepped up and showed great leadership and composure for a junior by making those clutch free throws," said Phil Parlin, Plano head coach. "We had to have that one too if we had any hope of making the playoffs."
The loss eliminated the Eagles from playoff contention, despite 14 points from Barrington Stevens and 12 from Jacob Rothbauer, who sent the game into overtime on a 3-pointer with five seconds left in regulation.
"It's always good to beat Allen," Parlin said. "That's a huge rival for us and to beat them on their court ... we've been fortunate in close ball games over there and that win helped propel us into the playoffs and gave Austin a lot of confidence that he'd carry over into his senior year."
Flower Mound Marcus defeats Lewisville, 66-45
March 2, 2011
In 2010-11, the Lewisville-Marcus rivalry featured three installments on the hardcourt, with the final showdown taking place in the regional quarterfinals.
And while both squads were chomping at the bit to get the game underway, they had to be patient and keep their emotions in check as the start of the game was delayed by 30 minutes.
"I remember it was about 10 minutes before the game and (LISD athletic director) Randy Mayes came in and said we were going to have to wait to play because there were still hundreds of people outside the gate waiting to get in," said Henry Thomas, former Lewisville head coach. "We were looking around the stadium, and it was already packed, wondering where they were all coming from."
While Marcus had already won the first two contests in district by an average of nine points, the Farmers were fired up entering the showdown.
"I think the thing that stands out the most to me was some of the trash talking on Facebook," Thomas said. "It's not really a good thing, the kids were just fired up. We knew we were talented and that if we played our best game, we had a shot to win. But you never want to wake up a giant. I think Marcus (Smart) came out and had like 15 points in the first quarter. It was one of the better games I saw him play."
Smart scored the first eight points for Marcus, leading the Marauders to an early 27-10 advantage, before finishing with 20 points to go with 11 rebounds, seven assists, seven steals and three blocks. Lewisville got within eight at halftime before Marcus pulled away. Phil Forte added a game-high 23 points with four 3-pointers for the Marauders.
Marcus would go on to win the first of its back-to-back state titles.
Flower Mound defeats Plano West, 70-66
Feb. 3, 2012
Just weeks before the 2011-12 season, former Lewisville head coach Henry Thomas was tabbed as Flower Mound's replacement after Charles Freet's unexpected departure.
The gig gave Thomas hope of reaching career victory No. 500, which he was 14 wins short of following his retirement from Lewisville.
However, after a productive non-district slate, the Jaguars found themselves struggling in 8-5A, and Thomas remained one win short of No. 500 with four games remaining, three of which were against would-be playoff teams.
Midway through its contest against West, chances appeared to be getting slimmer as the Jaguars trailed the Wolves, 27-14.
But the second half provided an offensive outburst rarely seen.
Behind Taylor Johnson, who finished with a game-high 29 points, Flower Mound erupted for 56 points in the second half to pull off the shocker.
"That was one of the most amazing games I've seen," Thomas said. "We started getting really hot and in the third quarter I actually started to think we had a chance. The lead got down to eight, then six, then four and I thought 'Oh my goodness.'"
Holt Harmon paced West with 20 points, while Brett Bell chipped in a double-double for the Jaguars.
"The place went nuts when the game ended," said Anthony Morgan, West head coach. "Obviously I was frustrated we lost, but I was happy for coach Thomas for getting his 500th win."
"I didn't really think there was a chance we would win that game after the first half," Thomas added. "But to come back on the road against the No. 7 team in the state was incredible. I tell folks all the time 'I got 499 wins and God gave me the 500th.'"
Honorable Mention
Lewisville defeats Plano East, 57-54
Jan. 14, 2011
Plano East was ahead for 30 minutes of this game.
But varsity contests are 32 minutes long and Lewisville took its first lead with two minutes remaining following a pair of free throws from Ryan Bowie, who led the Farmers with 17 points.
East made a 3-pointer and steal down the stretch, but also missed a pair of free throws.
Lewisville defeats Plano East, 56-53
Feb. 8, 2011
Less than four weeks after its first comeback win over East, Lewisville did it again.
This time the dagger came from Lewisville's Nick Post. Post, who said he was having a "so-so night" accounted for three of his seven points via a shot beyond the arc with 0.6 seconds left to give the Farmers the 56-53 lead.
Plano West defeats Lewisville, 56-51
Feb. 11, 2011
Ice and snow slowed down the 8-5A schedule, but not West as the Wolves went 4-0 in the span of five days and vaulted from fifth place in district to second in the process.
West finished its week off with this win over Lewisville, with the Wolves getting 17 points from Deshon Portley and 13 rebounds from Geoffrey Groselle.
Flower Mound defeats Plano East, 65-60
Jan. 6, 2012
Last second shots are always dramatic, but few had the gravitas of Brett Bell's 3-pointer on this night.
Bell forced overtime with a trifecta that hit the rim three times and the backboard before going down. Bell, who had 27 points and 21 rebounds, then made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left in overtime to secure the win.
Plano West defeats Plano East, 70-67
Jan. 20, 2012
The latest chapter in Plano's cross-town rivalry sits on par with any in its history, as East and West traded haymakers for 36 minutes. A matchup that featured 10 lead changes in the third quarter alone, plus a 3-point shooting clinic on both sides, was finally decided by the Wolves in overtime.
Justin Thomas contributed to this story
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