On Friday, Jan. 11, the boys’ basketball team faced off with Plano East on our home court. Both sides of stands were packed with students, parents and faculty in support of the boys. This game was the most rowdy basketball game of the season so far.

As the teams took to the court, Plano fans of all ages stood to their feet shouting and clapping. The starting players were seniors Dustin Bercutt, Teekay Biti, Sheldon O’Neal and juniors Broderick Perkins and Austin Evans. East received possession of the ball within seconds of the jump-ball being thrown. They attempted to shoot, but Biti quickly got the rebound and drove the ball up the court; he then passed to Evans to score the first points of the game. Evans is 6 feet 11 inches tall, which he used to his full advantage during the entire game. Both teams were fearless during the game and would not hesitate to throw another player to the ground.The best part of the first half was an incredible interception made by Evans. He caught the ball from going into the basket and passed it to Biti who ran the ball down to shoot. Plano had 23 points at the end of the half, leaving East behind by just one point.

The second half did not start well because the players kept passing the ball directly into the opponent’s hands, but the home team’s spirit was lifted when O’Neal shot a three-pointer, bringing the crowd to its feet with a roar of applause. The boys got it together, had great teamwork and were very aggressive. During the third quarter, the score was tied up at 34 points for four minutes until East was given a tie-breaking shot. The game ended with a free throw, which was heavily debated on by the team’s coaching staff. Both teams were strong in their defense and the score was very close for the entire game. The scoreboard was stopped at nine-tenths of a second when East had another foul shot, breaking the tie and ending the game.