Extending their winning streak to four games, the varsity boys basketball team defeated Mesquite at home on Nov. 25 on Staff Appreciation Night with a score of 62-51. Seniors Broderick Perkins and Jacques Stephenson scored 13 points each in the victory. Junior Jason Bardgett and senior Alex James contributed 8 points each to the win.

Repeating a trend from past games, the Wildcats struggled to score in the first quarter. Combined with poor passing decisions and problems getting the ball inbounds, Plano failed to reach double digits in the first quarter but maintained a four point lead going into the second quarter, 9-5. While Mesquite’s point guard kept the game competitive, timely three pointers from Perkins and Bardgett lifted Plano to a 13 point lead at the end of the first half.

The Wildcats came out strong in the second half, increasing their lead to a high of 20 points four minutes into the third quarter. A scare for Plano came early in the fourth quarter when Mesquite cut Plano’s lead down to 10 points. Although it seemed as if the momentum of the game had shifted in favor of Mesquite, a breakaway dunk by James shifted it back in favor of the Wildcats for the remainder of the fourth quarter. Mesquite managed to cut Plano’s lead down to 11 points in the final minutes, but never truly threatened to take the win. Plano looks to continue to rise above the competition at this weekend’s tournament at Arlington Martin High School.