Plano East sophomore Arianna Robinson (11) scored 22 points in the Lady Panthers’ 56-33 win at Princeton on Dec. 2. Photo by Jerry Winfrey / C&S Media
By David Wolman
The Plano East girls basketball team got off to a fast start last Friday thanks to a high-pressure defense that forced several turnovers. While Plano West countered with several runs to make it a close game at times, the Lady Panthers’ quick start proved too much as Plano East cruised to a 69-57 home win.
“Most of their push was actually in the second quarter when we had some confusion on defense,” said head coach Derrick Richardson. “Winning third quarters are a big emphasis for us. We actually held West to five third-quarter points and nine total points in the first 13½ minutes of the second half, so that was great.
“We also talk a lot about the fact that basketball is a game of runs, and often our opponents will have a run. Our job is to weather the storm and respond in the right way. I feel like we did a good job of that Friday night.”
Senior Hailey Reed set the defensive tone for Plano East (10-6 overall, 2-0 District 6-6A). On Plano West’s first offensive possession, Reed perfectly timed a run to the ball, getting her right hand on a pass intended for a Lady Wolves player, then dribbled up the court for a layup and a quick 2-0 Lady Panthers lead.
Plano East’s defense continued to overwhelm Plano West. Sophomore Arianna Robinson converted another Lady Panthers’ steal into a layup, giving Plano East a 19-4 lead with 2:05 left in the first quarter.
Robinson finished with a team-high 30 points. Reed added 10, followed by eight each from Nariah Witherspoon and Sicily Jackson and seven from Christine Cua.
Just when it appeared Plano East might run away with the game, Plano West settled in and took advantage of the Lady Panthers’ over-aggressiveness on defense. The Lady Wolves cut their deficit to 22-14 with a 3-pointer from the left corner in the final seconds of the first quarter and later to 22-19 after a layup with 5:16 left in the opening half.
However, the Lady Panthers showed patience on offense. Plano East played a selfless style, making extra passes to free up teammates for open shots. Robinson gave Plano East a 36-26 halftime lead with a steal off a scramble and a subsequent layup, and the advantage grew to 39-26 after Cua made a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the third quarter. The Lady Panthers put the game away in the last minute of the frame, with a steal and layup by Jackson pushing the lead to 52-31.
Earlier in the week, Plano East rode a 25-7 third-quarter run to a dominant 56-33 road win over Princeton in the district opener for both teams. Plano East led 13-10 after the first quarter and 22-17 at halftime. Robinson finished with 22 points, followed by 11 from Witherspoon and seven each from Reed and Madeline Bankhead.
“I’m proud of the way we played in the second half,” Richardson said. “I feel like we came out at the beginning of the game a little flat, and we settled for a lot of jump shots. We picked up the energy in the third quarter and had a good second half.”
Plano East is scheduled to host McKinney Boyd (9-1) at 5:30 p.m. Friday.