Grapevine boys basketball ready for start of district competition

The Grapevine boys basketball team came up a bit short in its final game before the Christmas break against Haltom, but coach Jeremy Mills said he is pleased with the progress his team has made to this point in the season and said that he believes his team is ready for district competition.

Grapevine will open up district on Jan. 5 against Fort Worth Carter-Riverside, and Mills said that the Eagles bring to the table what most of the Fort Worth schools bring.

“They are pretty athletic and have good guards, but they don’t really have that much size,” Mills said. “They are quick and athletic, and we just have to be ready to play. Now that it is district play, it means that much more. It’s all about being ready and executing your game plan.”

Grapevine lost to Haltom last week in the last game before the break, and Mills said his team looked kind of flat all the way around.

“We played against Colleyville Heritage, which is a rivalry, and there was a great crowd and environment and we won that game,” Mills said. “Then we played Haltom, and it was kind of a dead atmosphere, there was hardly anybody there, and Haltom beat us.”

Despite the loss to the Buffaloes, however, Mills said he does believe that Grapevine is ready for the start of district play.

“Our non-district schedule is very, very tough, with a lot of different styles of play,” Mills said. “We’ve played in some tough tournaments and played some tough teams. We’ve beaten some good teams and played in close games, so I definitely feel that we are prepared.”

Mills said that one of the most encouraging things he has seen this season is production from a variety of sources within his team.

“I think we knew who our starters were going to be going in, but I’ve been really happy with our bench production,” Mills said. “Hunter Holloway, our backup point guard, has been doing a great job all year. We’ve had other guys come off the bench and produce. So I think that one of our main strengths right now is our depth.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Grapevine boys basketball ready for start of district competition."