Plano East freshman Arianna Robinson jumps in the air to score two of her game-high 31 points in the Class 6A Division I state semifinals from Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center in Fort Worth on Tuesday, Feb. 26. Cedar Hill defeated Plano East 61-51. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media
By David Wolman
FORT WORTH – At halftime of a Feb. 25, Class 6A-Division I state semifinals contest, Plano East head girls’ basketball coach Derrick Richardson spoke to his Lady Panthers in the locker room, reminding them of how well they have performed in the second halves of each of their first four playoff games.
The Lady Panthers overcame a four-point halftime deficit to stun Class 6A’s No. 7 South Grand Prairie 48-44 in the area round of the 6A-Division I playoffs, and just two rounds later, worked hard to overcome a five-point deficit to topple North Crowley 49-45 – the latter win advancing Plano East to its first state semifinals appearance in program history.
Plano East nearly followed the same script against Cedar Hill, showing a lot of fight to reduce a 10-point, third-quarter deficit to just three by the end of the frame.
Unfortunately, for as hard as Plano East battled, the shots stopping falling for the Lady Panthers during the fourth quarter, where they were outscored 12-5 and went just 2-of-7 at the free-throw line in a season-ending 61-51 loss from Wilkerson-Greines Activities Center.
“We’ve been down in every single playoff game, and we fought back every time, and they did it again tonight,” Richardson said. “At the end of the day, our youth and inexperience got us. They (Cedar Hill) are a really good team, a really seasoned team with a bench of seniors, upper classmen that have been doing it for a long time. I think that made a difference down the stretch.”
The loss spoiled a dominating 31-point performance by Plano East star freshman guard Arianna Robinson.
Sophomore Kennedy Borders sank a pair of free throws about a minute later to give Plano East its only lead of the night at 7-6 with 4:56 to go in the first quarter.
Cedar Hill responded with a 12-5 run to take an 18-12 lead after the first eight minutes of game action, but Robinson’s hot shooting allowed Plano East to stay withing striking distance of the Lady Longhorns.
Robinson made her first 11 shots from the field with her first missed shot not coming until there was 2:55 remaining in the third quarter.
“It’s what she’s become accustomed to,” Richardson said. “She’s a very special player. I told her before the game she’s the best player in the gym and needed everything we could get from her, and she gave us that.”
All the while, Plano East’s defense, which struggled to defend Cedar Hill’s motion offense in the early going, began to get in gear midway through the second quarter. The Lady Panthers got their hands on several deflections, which resulted in six Lady Longhorn turnovers in that stanza alone.
A Plano East steal parlayed into a pair of free throws for junior Hailey Reed after she was fouled with 1:27 remaining until intermission. Reed made sank both foul shots, reducing the Cedar Hill advantage to 27-26.
Plano East had another run in them in the third quarter. The Lady Panthers cut what had been an 11-point lead for Cedar Hill to 49-46 after Robinson finished off a steal with two free made free throws with 45 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
More than three minutes elapsed in the fourth quarter without either team scoring. That was until Cedar Hill senior Brooklyn King made a mid-range jump shot to give the Lady Longhorns a 51-46 lead with 4:55 remaining.
Plano East was never able to get closer than four points as Cedar Hill advanced to the state final for the first time since 1997.
Cedar Hill delivered the dagger with 1:34 remaining in regulation when senior Trinity Thomas sank a 3-pointer from the right corner for a 58-49 lead.
“I think that we got out of sync a little bit,” Richardson said. “I’d have to look back it, but I don’t think that we had the greatest shot selection in that stretch. We were right there, but it was missed opportunity after missed opportunity.”
Plano East finished the season with a 24-14 record and with just the Lady Panthers losing just two seniors to graduation, Didi Chineke and Sema Udo, they hope this deep playoff run is the start of even bigger things to come.
“We feel like that we can keep this together and can push and really be a force over the next few years,” Richardson said.
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