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An incredible run: North drops close one to Kimball in fourth round
By Richard C. White, rwhite@starlocalnews.com
GARLAND -- Midnight has struck for Cinderella.
Despite nearly erasing a 17-point deficit, the McKinney North boys basketball team saw its run through the postseason end Friday night in a 56-49 Region II Semifinal loss to No. 8 Dallas Kimball at the Curtis Culwell Center.
"I'm disappointed that we lost, but very proud of the way that we battled," said Darryll Craft, McKinney North head coach. "As a team we may not pass the eye test, but you don't judge a man by his looks, you judge him by his heart and we had a lot of heart tonight."
"You saw the strong character of our kids tonight," said Mike Fecci, North athletic director. "I'm so proud of coach Craft and the team for the way that they've represented McKinney North."
The loss snaps an eight-game winning streak for North (23-12) that dates back to January. The Bulldogs were consistently the underdogs during their postseason run, which began when they beat Texas High in the bi-district round. North would go on to upset No. 11 Jacksonville and then Mansfield Legacy, leading up to Friday's game against Kimball.
"It's a great experience for the kids," Craft said. "We probably weren't favored in a lot of people's eyes, but we thought we were the best team every night we stepped foot on the floor. I can't say enough about how proud I am to be a Bulldog."
Julion Pearre led the Bulldogs in scoring with 13 points, followed by Kody Wilson's 12, Collin Curran's eight and Jola Otubu's six.
Kimball, meanwhile, had three players who reached double digits in points, led by Keith Frazier's 15.
Kimball started off with a hot hand from downtown, quickly sinking three 3-pointers to jump on the board, 9-2.
At times the game was played faster than either team could handle as turnovers and poor passes plagued both teams to start. North would struggle the most as the Knights' athleticism carried them through their mistakes while the Bulldogs' shots weren't falling.
"Early on we had a hard time getting shots because we tried to rush some things," Craft said. "We took a lot of bad shots."
North had mixed results on the glass. Even when the Bulldogs did get the offensive rebound, they often failed to capitalize on the second-chance shots. The Knights finished the first quarter with a fast-break dunk as they rode a wave of momentum into the second, up 18-4.
Kimball's dominance from downtown continued as the Knights sank another three to start the second quarter, now up by 17. Kimball carried a 28-17 lead into the half.
North would stage a strong run in the final two minutes of the third as Wilson followed up a pair of free throws with a layup to cut it to 34-28. The Bulldogs then got it within four off a Pearre layup. The offensive burst allowed the Bulldogs to head into the fourth trailing 34-30. Things continued to go the Bulldogs' way as Pearre sank a pair of free throws to cut it to 34-32 early in the fourth.
"It's the way it's been all year," Craft said. "We're not going to give up; we're going to make you earn it. We did everything we could to battle and scrape and fight. Our kids bring it to the table every night, they come ready to play."
Kimball found its footing again and went on a run to build the lead back up to 43-35.
Not to be outdone, North clawed back to keep the deficit at four as Otubu hit a 3-pointer with a little more than a minute remaining. The Knights, though, would make their free throws to maintain the lead and seal the 56-49 victory.
What's most promising for North is the Bulldogs only lose two players to graduation.
"This team is full of underclassmen and now that they've raised the bar, they've got a lot to look forward to next year," Fecci said. "I know they're going to go work and hopefully get back here next year."
Craft is also encouraged by this year's deep run and hopes perceptions of North will change moving forward.
"You look out there tonight and you saw a group of kids that a lot of people didn't think had much of a chance, but we battled back and never quit," he said. "The underclassmen got a taste of it. I hope they remember this taste tonight because it's not the taste we want to have in our mouths next year and to prevent that we're going to get better in the offseason."
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