By John Loop
Sports Writer
While Coppell High School students have been enjoying their two-week hiatus, the Coppell Cowboys basketball team has not missed a beat since school let out for Christmas break just under two weeks ago.
Coppell approaches the end of the break with a 2-3 record (8-10 overall), just one game under the .500 mark. This stretch includes a third place finish in the Orange consolation bracket of the 2012 Whataburger Tournament in Birdville last weekend.
Tomorrow, the Cowboys will try to get back in the win column at home facing the Wildcats of Plano High School. Coppell has faced two of the trio of Plano-area schools, Plano East and Plano West, and have come away with one win in three games, a 48-44 nail-biter against the Wolves (West).
The coaching matchup is quite intriguing. Coppell head coach Kit Pehl, in his first year at the helm of the Cowboys, will face off against a 15-year veteran in Wildcats coach Phil Parlin.
Parlin has worked his way up in the ranks of Plano coaches. Starting as a junior varsity coach, he coached many of the boys who comprised the Wildcats on the 2006 Class 5A state championship team. This is his fifth year as Plano’s varsity coach.
The lineup card for the Wildcats starts and ends with 6’7″ senior forward Dustin Bercutt. Bercutt is the lynchpin of the Wildcat offense who, mysteriously, resembles 2012 Coppell graduate Jett Raines.
The Plano senior uses a myriad of post moves, swift basket cuts, and an above-average vertical to pour in the points. His alarming height assists in his finishing at the rim. Bercutt also has a face-up game, shooting and occasionally hitting a three pointer. More often than not, though, he will choose to attack the basket, which usually results in a layup or a two handed slam dunk.
Senior guard Teekay Biti leads the Plano attack in the backcourt. Biti, recently returning to the hardwood from an Achilles injury in November, was briefly replaced in the lineup by junior point guard Broderick Perkins. Perkins made up for the absence of Biti nicely, and will share time on the court based on his play of late.
The majority of the Wildcat roster are perimeter players. Senior wings Fred Williams and Sheldon O’Neal, as well as sophomore wing Jason Bardgett combine to provide a healthy complement to the inside game of Bercutt and senior Ryan White.
Plano also recently received junior transfers Austin Evans (a 6’11” post) and Jacques Stephenson (a 6’4″ guard) who have yet to step on the floor this year. Both transactions become official this month, so these additions could change Coppell’s defensive gameplan drastically.
For Coppell, junior forward Simi Socks has increased his production over the break. Socks has reached double digits in scoring in four of his last five games, including 24 in a victory over Rowlett, and 18 in a close OT loss to Plano West.
Sock’s 6’6″ frame will be key for the Cowboys to counter the size of the Wildcats’ Bercutt and Evans, provided the latter sees time on the floor.
Senior sharpshooter Calvin Michaelis had 16 in the loss against the Wolves, hitting 4 of 6 triples from beyond the arc, and seems to have found his rhythm from beyond the arc (15-31, 48% for the season) after only netting one in the Cowboy loss to Berkner before the break.
