Counter-punch: Plano East boys deny Hebron's 2nd-half surge, stay atop 6-6A

It was the longest stretch of unanswered offense by either team up to that point, but a run that was ultimately dwarfed by the avalanche that followed from East over the final quarter-and-a-half. The Panthers countered the Hawks' 8-0 surge by closing Tuesday's contest on a 24-7 run to cruise to a 57-43 win and keep pace in an increasingly contentious race for the 6-6A championship.

FINAL: Plano East 57, Hebron 43After Hebron opened the 3rd on an 8-0 run, @PlanoEastHoops counters by outscoring the Hawks 24-7 the rest of the way to improve to 5-1 in district and keep pace in 1st place. East's Jordan Mizell leads all scorers with 21 pts. Hebron dips to 4-2. pic.twitter.com/w5VirRlgDQ

— Matt Welch (@MWelchSLM) January 18, 2023

The two teams entered the night as part of a four-way tie for first place in the district, with East improving to 5-1 in league play alongside Plano and Lewisville, while Hebron occupies fourth in the conference at 4-2.

"I say it a ton, but I really trust our guys. They feel like anything that's thrown at them, they can figure out a way to win," said Matt Wester, East head coach. "We've been up against big runs and exceptional players, great shooters, zone teams, man teams ... but our guys don't get upset over it. We're deep in the bench and conditioned very well. Our guys believe that at the end of the game, they'll win because they'll have more left in the tank."

The Panthers' second wind came at an opportune time on Tuesday, closing out the third quarter with 10 consecutive points to build a 43-36 lead. The run was capped by a steal from junior Jordan Mizell that the guard converted into a layup on the other end with 10 seconds remaining in the frame.

East's defense was a constant during the second-half onslaught, holding the Hawks to just three makes from the field over the final 12 minutes of game time.

"Defensively, we didn't make many mistakes and I was really happy about that," Wester said. "In the first half, we left a couple shooters open, but other than that we were getting matched up with the right guys, adjusting our defense to (Isaiah) Dixon, and limiting any mistakes."

Hebron's ball movement and perimeter shooting helped keep pace in the first half — eight of the team's 11 makes through two quarters were assisted, and the Hawks managed to cash in from beyond the arc five times. But East was all over those actions in the second half, closing off driving lanes and limiting open looks from long range.

"They have five guys who can defend. When you can't beat someone off the dribble and get by somebody, it makes life hard," said Eric Reil, Hebron head coach. "We had some open shots and people weren't ready to pull the trigger, and sometimes you're just going to run into nights like that. Tonight wasn't our night."

Senior Jaden Clemons willed Hebron's initial third-quarter run, scoring six of his team-high 12 points during that stretch on a series of finishes near the rim. Junior Cam Mennsfield added eight points, including a pair of 3s early on to aid an 18-18 tie through one quarter.

Mizell, meanwhile, countered with a game-high 21 points to go with five offensive rebounds and four steals. He accounted for nine of his team's 18 first-quarter points and didn't let up — once Hebron seized a 36-33 lead midway through the third quarter, Mizell later put the Panthers back on top with his third and-one finish of the night.

"We talk all the time about what winning plays are. Second-chance points are winning plays and Jordan makes those plays for us," Wester said.

End 3Q: Plano East 43, Hebron 36Jordan Mizell closes strong for @PlanoEastHoops. Finishes an and1 below and late in the quarter intercepted a pass and finished a layup on the other end. He's up to 19 on the night. After Hebron opened the quarter 8-0, East goes 10-0. pic.twitter.com/TccO45V5eD

— Matt Welch (@MWelchSLM) January 18, 2023

Wester cited a charge taken by junior Jon Tran, who added nine points on a trio of 3-pointers, and a heads-up defensive sequence from junior Isaiah Brewington, who dove for a loose ball midway through the fourth quarter and, while still on the ground, managed to dish it to Mizell for a fast-break layup that boosted the Panthers' lead to 53-40.

"They hit some big shots and turned up the defensive intensity. Tonight, we just didn't have an answer for it. They turned it up on that end and rebounded well," Reil said.

It halted a run of four straight district wins, all by double digits, for the Hawks, who continue to hang tough in 6-6A despite two of the team's linchpins, seniors Alex Cotton and Nate Mercer, being sidelined by injuries for the majority of the season. Both have started games for Hebron since they were sophomores, with Cotton going on to earn 6-6A offensive player of the year honors last season.

Reil said that postgame that he's unsure if either will play again this season as the Hawks remain in district title contention near the schedule's midpoint.

"It says a lot about the guys we have. To do what we've done so far, it says a lot about the guys who are here busting their tails everyday. They're going to keep battling," Reil said.

The Hawks look to bounce back at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lewisville, while East heads home for a 7 p.m. tip against Flower Mound.

End 1Q: Hebron 18, Plano East 18Fun start between these two. @HebronHawksBB takes a brief lead late in the quarter in this Ashton Toney 3, but East answers just before the buzzer thanks to a triple from Ethan Moss. pic.twitter.com/piA4nY4yua

— Matt Welch (@MWelchSLM) January 18, 2023