Skyline (29-9) entered Tuesday's nights regional quarterfinal girls basketball game against Plano Senior (26-8) having not allowed more than 45 points in nearly three months.

Part of that can be credited to the team's ability to transition seamlessly between man-to-man defense and zone, but there is another factor at play.

"You can't teach size," said Lynn Meger, Plano head coach. "Skyline has a 6-foot-2 and a 6-foot-3 girl, both of whom are quick and long, so their bigs definitely affected our game. It was a defense unlike any we've seen this season."

That defense limited Plano to its lowest output of the season as the No. 21 state-ranked Lady Wildcats were defeated by No. 19 Skyline, 50-32, from Richardson Pearce.

The win was the Lady Raiders' 20th straight.

"But that score was not indicative of most of the game," Meger said.

There is validity to Meger's statement as Plano trailed, 31-28, with six minutes left.

"It was a little tough after that because Skyline didn't get called for a foul the rest of the game," Meger said. "We had to extend a lot of energy because both sides were playing aggressive."

The Lady Wildcats' inability to break through inside forced more perimeter shots. Plano converted only 2-of-19 field goal attempts in the final frame.

"We were still getting good looks; we missed four 3-pointers we probably should have hit because they were uncontested," Meger said. "And when we missed we weren't getting the rebound for that second chance; this is one of the few games we've had where we couldn't control the boards and that goes back to the size factor again."

Plano trailed, 26-18, at the break but used strong defense to move within three points by the start of the fourth quarter.

"Our guards had one of their better games," Meger said. "(Senior) Haley Wray had four steals, (junior) Haley Shearer had three steals and (sophomore) Kara Mitchell played well too. They all handled the ball and the pressure really well."

The problem was finding offense to supplement a team-high 15 points from senior Grace Mitchell. Senior Wilma Afunugo, another frequent top option, was held to just four points. Skyline, led by 15 points from Marina Lilly, had no such concerns as it salted the game away from the free throw line. The Lady Raiders closed on a 19-4 run for a50-32 victory and their first trip to the regional tournament in three years.

"When you have two district champions play, someone has to lose," Meger said.

There was still plenty for Plano to remain upbeat about after making its first regional quarterfinal appearance since 2002-03.

"The seniors wanted to leave a legacy and they left a great one," Meger said. "They have continually risen to the occasion in spite of any adversity and I think they were able to do that again [against Skyline] even though we didn't win."

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