Dragons come just short of playoff berth after play-in loss

The season came to an end for the Carroll boys basketball team on Friday night with a loss in a district tie-breaker against Colleyville Heritage by a score of 57-43.

The Dragons were right on the cusp of making the postseason but came up just short, and coach Eric McDade said that, while he would like for his team to still be playing, he is pleased with the effort he received from his team this season.

“When we just listen to our guys talk after the game, one thing that everyone said was how much of a team this was,” McDade said. “We didn't have attitudes or issues or guys concerned with themselves. Guys really bought into their roles and they fought hard every single day, and it was a fantastic year.”

Carroll lost by 14 points against Colleyville Heritage on Friday night, but McDade said the score was really not indicative of how close the game was.

“It was a war,” McDade said. “That was a playoff game without a doubt. They came out and hit us early. Then we came storming back. The funny thing is that the half time score in the first (district) game was 17-13, they were up. The second game was 18-14. At the end of the first quarter, in this most recent game, it was 15-11, so it was already on pace to be a different game than the first two.

“It had all of the makings of tough game, and it was a battle. There was a lot on the line in that game, and the kids performed.”

Reflecting on the season as a whole, McDade said there were not any areas that he would like to go back and redo about his team, but added that the Dragons were the victims of unfortunate circumstances a time or two.

“I think the tale of the tape for us had a lot to do with things that we couldn't necessarily control,” McDade said. “In the second game against Heritage, Hunter Summy's at the ER that day, so he didn't play that night and we were without him. The last play of the third quarter against Haltom, Kirk Mason comes down wrong on his ankle, and he doesn't play last Friday.

“Those are the things that you have no control over. We finished up the season in a tie for third place with a chance to move on to the postseason ... our kids battled and fought hard, and it's a tough league. We looked up on Friday and thought, 'a lot of teams have put their stuff up, but we're still playing,' and that's a good thing.”

McDade said that he expected the season to come down to a possible play-in game or at least to the very last game of the regular season, and said he is happy with the season as a whole.

“I think that we had outstanding seniors who did a fantastic job this year,” McDade said. “When you have that, you know you're going to have a good season. We've also got a lot of good juniors moving up, and we've got a bright future ahead of us.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2015 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Dragons come just short of playoff berth after play-in loss."