Carroll boys basketball eyes possible playoff foes

The Carroll boys basketball team wrapped up the district runner-up spot on Friday night with a victory over Haltom, and coach Eric McDade said he likes where his team is positioned.

The Dragons wrapped up the season on Tuesday night after the press deadline and will open the playoffs with either Cedar Hill or South Grand Prairie.

McDade said he does not really have a preference in terms of who his team would play.

“We played Cedar Hill earlier this year in their tournament,” McDade said. “They’re a good team, and I’ve known the coach over at South Grand Prairie for quite some time and he does a great job. These are two of the top programs in the state that we’ll be facing in the first round, so it really doesn’t matter either way.”

Carroll defeated Haltom by a score of 70-53 on Friday night in a game that McDade said seemed to have a lot of emotion flowing through it.

“It was senior night, and I was just really proud to have a night to honor those guys,” McDade said. “I’ve been with them for four years, and it was great to celebrate them. They played very well at the same time, so it was a good night.”

Joey McCormick led the team in scoring against Haltom with 19 points in the game, while Jack McBride added 12 points and Stephen Bloomstrom scored 12 points.

Jacob Gordon, Blake Bischler, Kyle Krause, Cooper Osburn, Matt Landers, Sam Bourcy, Frank Pollack, Tyson Smiter and Austin Smith combined for 29 points in the game.

The Dragons had won their last four district games in a row heading into their season finale on Tuesday night, and McDade said he believes his team is starting to peak at the right time.

“I think we are,” McDade said. “If you look at it, we’ve won seven out of the last eight. Our defense is gradually improving, our guys are starting to get really good chemistry in terms of sharing the ball. Guard play and our inside play are both pretty good, as well, so we’re starting to play pretty well.”

This story was originally published February 15, 2016 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Carroll boys basketball eyes possible playoff foes."