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Gaining momentum: North's offense on display against Sherman
By Richard C. White, rwhite@starlocalnews.com
Backed by an embarrassment of offensive riches, the McKinney North boys basketball team throttled district rival Sherman, 93-73, Tuesday night at home.
"I thought this was the best game we've played," said Darryll Craft, North head coach. "I'm happy with what we've done so far, I'm happy with the kids playing hard and doing all the right things."
The Bulldogs' offensive explosion wasn't limited to just one area as they consistently connected from outside the arc, inside the paint and from the charity stripe.
North (14-7, 5-1) had five players in double digits and two more who barely missed that mark.
"We nearly had seven guys in double digits, so it's not like we just had two guys going off," Craft said. "It was a great team effort. I thought they shared the ball well."
The Bulldogs were led by junior guard Collin Curran's 21 points.
"Collin played really well," Craft said. "He shot the ball well, penetrated, got some layups and ran the lanes well. I was very happy with him."
Junior guard Julion Pearre chipped in 18, while junior guard Steele Douglas had 13 and junior guards Jola Otubu and Kody Wilson each scored 10. Also contributing in the high-scoring affair were seniors Bryson Brown and Maliek Golden with nine and eight, respectively.
In addition to Curran and Pearre's strong play, Craft was impressed with Douglas' effort Tuesday night.
"Steele Douglas played outstanding again," he said. "He had three threes as part of his 13 points. He sees the floor really well and defensively he's probably our best guy blocking out and jumping for boards."
It didn't take long for North to set the tone.
Early in the first quarter, Otubu hit a pair of threes in rapid succession to give North a 6-1 lead as the route was on.
But things got a little unraveled for North after the half. Although the Bulldogs scored a season-high 93 points, they gave up 73 points along the way.
"We kind of let them get back in it in the third quarter," Craft said. "Our defense wasn't the greatest. We know we've got to work on our defense."
The Bulldogs would improve in the fourth, putting the game away by 20 points.
After starting the season 8-7, the Bulldogs have since drastically changed their fortunes, transforming into a serious district title contender. North may have dropped its 13-4A opener, but the team has since won its last five.
"I'm very pleased with where this team is at, with the kids buying in to what we're trying to teach them," Craft said. "We're playing together, we're looking for our teammates and they're taking practice more seriously."
Lovejoy leads the district race at 6-0, with North at 5-1 and Royce City in third at 4-2. The Bulldogs' next two games will likely go a long way in deciding their playoff position as North travels to play Royse City at 8 p.m. Friday before hosting Lovejoy at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
"Those two teams are right there with us," Craft said. "This is an important two-game swing for us. Our first goal is to make the playoffs. I really believe that hopefully we're peaking at the right time."
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