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Late surge: Boyd bested by Berkner in bi-district
By Richard C. White, rwhite@starlocalnews.com
GARLAND -- Despite playing them close for much of the night, McKinney Boyd was unable to repeat its early season success as the Broncos were beaten by Richardson Berkner, 59-48, in Tuesday night's bi-district matchup from Naaman Forest High School.
"There's no doubt in my mind that our kids played hard," said Dean Christian, Boyd head coach. "This was probably the hardest we've played all year. It was a knock-out, drag-out game. One of the most physical games I've seen. Our kids played well, we were still right there in the fourth."
Boyd previously beat Berkner 58-50 on Dec. 4. Boyd finishes the 2012-13 season with a 20-10 record while Berkner (29-5) continues on to play in the area round. The game was won and lost inside as the Rams superior size allowed them to out-muscle Boyd for second chance shots.
Although they were unable to beat Berkner for a second time this year, the game marks the end of a memorable season for Boyd's basketball program.
The Broncos not only made the playoffs for the first time in program history this season, they also registered 20 wins for the first time as well, something Christian said he hopes becomes the new standard at Boyd.
"This was definitely a showcase season," Christian said. "More than anything it shows the younger kids in our program what we can do. This senior class had to accomplish this thing by faith. They didn't have previous evidence or experience that it could happen and now all the kids coming up through middle school will have that faith through evidence, something that they could point to that says, 'Hey, this could happen here.'"
Senior Mikel Parish led the way in scoring for Boyd with 17 points, followed by 12 points from senior Michael Grant and seven points from junior Taber McFadden.
"Mikel played great," Christian said. "He basically carried us going into the fourth."
Berkner, meanwhile, had four players in double digits, led by Soma Edo's 16. Also scoring for the Rams were Keenan Evans and Torey Everett, who had 12 apiece, and K. Harris, who had 10.
The Broncos took the edge in the first, but the Rams made sure to keep close pace as Boyd only led 14-12 after the opening frame. Boyd was resourceful in its ability to scrape out baskets when it could against an imposing Berkner squad.
"We fast broke when we could off of their turnovers," Christian said. "We manufactured some points with our half-court game. We were able to get up some shots that way and it worked well for us."
The Rams would turn the tables in the second, claiming the narrow edge themselves, outscoring the Broncos 15-10.
Not only did Parish lead Boyd in scoring, he also played well defensively, limiting Harris, one of Berkner's top players, to only 10 points.
"He went toe-to-toe with Harris," Christian said. "He had the kind of night you want to have as a senior in your final game."
Boyd trailed Berkner by only three points at the half, as the Rams' second-quarter efforts allowed them to take a 27-24 lead into halftime. The game got even tighter in the third quarter as Boyd and Berkner matched each other shot for shot, scoring 13 points apiece.
The fourth quarter proved to be the difference. Broncos senior Martez Butler, Boyd's main physical presence inside, fouled out in the fourth.
"Inside the paint is one of our weakest spots," Christian said. "Our tallest guy is 6-foot-3, so when he fouls out, we're not very big. It was an imposing, daunting task to hold them inside."
The Rams took that opportunity to finally pull away from the Broncos as Berkner outpaced Boyd the rest of the way. The Rams' 19-11 fourth-quarter margin sealed the victory for Berkner and ended the Broncos season.
While Boyd's most successful season may have come to an end, Christian is encouraged by the new standard his seniors have set. The Broncos' senior-heavy roster had 11 of its 14 players play their last game Tuesday night. The accomplishments from this season are their legacy, Christian said.
"I couldn't be prouder of a young group of men as I am of our seniors this year," he said. "They displayed great class and great leadership. It was a joy to work with them. I always felt confident that we had a chance to win with this group because of how hard they work and how hard they play. They have set the standard and without any question, we can get back to this standard in the future."
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