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Tough Dawgs: North trounces Texas High in playoff opener
By Richard C. White, rwhite@starlocalnews.com
PARIS -- In a game full of wild momentum swings, McKinney North proved to be the last team standing in a 66-45 come-from-behind bi-district victory against Texas High Monday night from Paris High School.
"We came out well and went on a run and then they went on a monstrous run to close out the quarter," said Darryll Craft, North head coach. "Our kids stayed composed in front of that big crowd. They stayed with it and battled back. We didn't get rattled at all tonight."
North stormed out of the gate with a quick lead, only to see Texas High reverse the Bulldogs' fortunes and do the same to an even greater degree that same quarter.
North improves to 21-11 on the year with the victory, extending its current winning streak to six games.
Curran led the way for North with 15 points, followed by 10 from junior Julion Pearre.
"It was a team effort," Curran said. "I thought I did well. They were playing tough on me, but my teammates got me the ball whenever I needed it. They did a great job."
Curran knew before the game started that he was ready for the playoff opener.
"My shots felt so good in warm-ups," he said. "That carried over into the game."
Also contributing for North were juniors Steele Douglas, Kody Wilson, Jola Otubu, and senior Bryson Brown, each of whom had eight points.
"I think that shows you the importance of sharing the ball and having trust in your teammates," Craft said. "We have a lot of scorers. We almost had six guys in double-digits. That's a well-balanced basketball team."
North sprinted out to a 10-3 lead to start the first.
Not to be outdone, Texas High staged a staggering 17-2 run to close out the opening frame at 20-12. The Bulldogs committed a lot of turnovers early and took several rushed shots. Both were factors in the Tigers' 17-2 run.
"We let them off the hook there," Craft said. "We had a hard time in the first half keeping them in front of us. They're very athletic and went by us a couple times."
In the second, North found its rhythm once more, finishing the quarter with a flurry as Brown sank a layup at the buzzer to give the Bulldogs a 31-27 halftime lead.
"I think that's what playing a tough schedule has done for us," Craft said. "We've played against some really good teams in the Metroplex in our district and non-district schedule and playing them helped teach us how to stay composed and have a better basketball IQ with understanding the ups and downs of this game."
Curran's presence facilitated further success for his teammates in the second half.
"They were doing everything they could to lockdown Colin," Craft said. "But he still had 15 points. He opened up some things for us offensively that we exploited more after halftime."
Halftime did little to slow down the Bulldogs, who outscored the Tigers by 10 in the third to increase their lead to 53-39.
"This says a lot about our team," Curran said. "We've overcome a lot of things this season and played through our problems. After they went on their run, we made sure to move on and keep playing."
North maintained its strong lead in the fourth and coasted to the 66-45 win.
"I like how our kids stayed in the moment and stayed in the game," Craft said. "Basketball is all about runs. Each team will make their runs. It's the team that's the most composed and doesn't get rattled that's going to make those runs end quicker."
Craft credits North's playoff experience as part of the difference in the game. The Bulldogs went two rounds deep last postseason as Curran, Douglas, Otubu, Wilson, Brown and Pearre all had two or more games of playoff experience prior to this season.
"We did a better job than Texas High did because we have players that have that playoff experience," Craft said. "That's invaluable."
The Bulldogs are back in action 7:30 pm. Friday night against Jacksonville in their area round matchup from Rains High School in Emory.
"Our kids understand it better this year than last year because they've been through it now and they know what it's going to take to keep winning in the playoffs," Craft said. "I think this team could be special. I think we have the talent to be special."
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