What a difference a few weeks can make.

With Tuesday night's 57-38 home win against Royse City, the McKinney North boys basketball team charges into the playoffs with the district's No. 2 seed after wining their last five straight.

"Tonight was a whole compilation of things," said Darryll Craft, North head coach. "We won on Senior Night, we won 20 games for the third year in a row, and we got to clinch second place in a really tough district. You look at all of that stuff, and that's all our kids and they should feel good about what they've accomplished."

North's victory over Royse City puts the Bulldogs at 20-11 on the year and 11-3 in District 13-4A. North will play Texas High next week in the bi-district round.

Junior Julion Pearre led North with a game-high 13 points, followed by 12 from senior Bryson Brown and 10 from junior Kody Wilson. Craft was particularly proud of Brown's effort.

"I can't say enough about Bryson," he said. "His leadership all year long has been amazing. He works hard, leads by example and does everything we ask with his defense."

The game was tight from the start, with the teams settling for an 18-18 tie heading into halftime. Turnovers and poor shot selection plagued North throughout the first two quarters.

"We didn't shoot it well," Craft said. "Everything we could do wrong in the first half we did do wrong. Shots weren't falling and we were getting frustrated, but then we came out in the third and battled and took that lead into the fourth."

North took charge in the third, scoring 21 points while keeping Royse City to single digits.

"We got some easier baskets in the second half that got us going," Craft said. "And our defensive pressure was really good in the third quarter."

North's 12-point lead to start the fourth would only grow larger as the Bulldogs continued to capitalize off their second-half momentum for the victory, thanks in large part to Wilson, who scored all 10 of his points in the final frame.

North's strong season is primarily due to their dominance in district. The Bulldogs looked very much like a different team when the season started. Halfway through the year, North was 8-7 and struggling to remain above .500. That all changed one game into district.

North's turnaround is largely due to two factors. Some teams fatten up their non-district record with easy opponents. The Bulldogs, though, played tougher competition in order to better prepare themselves for district.

"We've played some tough teams, some really good competition," Craft said. "You look at our non-district schedule and I don't think we played any bad teams. I'm very proud of what we've accomplished here, because it wasn't easy."

The Bulldogs also came together and gelled more as a team during district play, leading to more trust on the court and stronger fundamentals.

"For the last four weeks we've done a great job of sharing the ball," Craft said. "It's about looking for your teammates and trusting your teammates. That's a key thing. Because of that we've started to play like we have."

By making the playoffs, the Bulldogs join their girls basketball team as the only McKinney-based high school to have both varsity teams advance to the postseason.

As for their cross-town rivals, the McKinney's girls team advanced while the boys team did not. At McKinney Boyd, the Broncos advanced while the Lady Broncos did not.

North has not only won its last five straight heading into the postseason, but also 10 of their last 12 overall. North will have roughly a week of rest before they take on Texas High in their bi-district matchup, which will be either Monday or Tuesday night.

A week off has both its advantages and disadvantages for a surging team at the end of a long regular season.

"It's good to get the rest, especially for any players who have injuries, and we have a couple of those who are banged up a little bit," Craft said. "That's always a good thing. The other side is when you're playing well you want to quickly play again, so there's that. The days off could get you out of your routine."

Whatever transpires in the playoffs, Craft wants his players to know he's proud of their resilient transformation into a team that's more than just dominant, they're close-knit.

"I've very proud of our kids for buying in and understanding what we were trying to accomplish," he said. "I hope the kids enjoy this experience."

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