PARIS -- In a game full of wild momentum swings, the McKinney North Bulldogs proved to be the last team standing in a dominant 66-45 come-from-behind bi-district victory against Texas High Monday night from Paris High School.

"We came out well and went on a run and then they went on a monstrous run to close out the quarter," said Darryll Craft, North head coach. "Our kids stayed composed in front of that big crowd. They stayed with it and battled back. We didn't get rattled at all tonight."

North stormed out of the gate with a quick lead, only to see Texas High reverse the Bulldogs' fortunes and do the same to an even greater degree that same quarter. The Bulldogs, though, would regroup to run past the Tigers and cruise to the win in their playoff opener.

"We came out pretty strong, but then they got some easy buckets off of our mistakes," said junior Colin Curran. "We settled for some bad shots in that stretch. We didn't play our game. We were nervous in the beginning, but once we got the feel of the game we all came together."

North improves to 21-11 on the year with the victory, which extends their current winning streak to six games.

Curran led the way for North with 15 points, followed by junior Julion Pearre, who had 10.

"It was a team effort," Curran said. "I thought I did well. They were playing tough on me, but my teammates got me the ball whenever I needed it. They did a great job."

Curran said he knew even before the game started that he would be relaxed and ready for the playoff opener.

"My shots felt so good in warm-ups," Curran said. "That carried over into the game."

Also contributing for North were four other players who each were one basket away from double digit point totals as juniors Steele Douglas, Kody Wilson, Jola Otubu, and senior Bryson Brown each had eight points.

"I think that shows you the importance of sharing the ball and having trust in your teammates," Craft said. "We have a lot of scorers. We almost had six guys in double-digits. That's a well-balanced basketball team."

North sprinted out to a 10-3 lead to start the first quarter. Not to be outdone, Texas High staged a staggering 17-2 run to close out the opening frame at 20-12.

The Bulldogs committed a lot of turnovers early in the game, as well as taking several rushed shots. Both factors played a large part in the Tigers' 17-2 run.

"We let them off the hook there," Craft said. "We had a hard time in the first half keeping them in front of us. They're very athletic and went by us a couple times."

In the second, North found its rhythm once more, finishing the quarter with a flurry as Brown sank a layup at the buzzer to give the Bulldogs a 4-point halftime lead at 31-27. North had outscored Texas High 19-7 in the second.

"I think that's what playing a tough schedule has done for us," Craft said. "We've played against some really good teams in the Metroplex in our district and non-district schedule and playing them helped teach us how to stay composed and have a better basketball IQ with understanding the ups and downs of this game."

Curran's presence facilitated further success for his teammates in the second half.

"They were doing everything they could to lockdown Colin," Craft said. "But he still had 15 points. He opened up some things for us offensively that we exploited more after halftime."

Halftime did little to slow down the Bulldogs, who outscored the Tigers by 10 in the third to increase their lead to 53-39 heading into the fourth.

"This says a lot about our team," Curran said. "We've overcome a lot of things this season and played through our problems. After they went on their run, we made sure to move on and keep playing."

There wasn't much Texas High could do at this point as North maintained their strong fourth quarter lead as the Bulldogs coasted to the win.

"I like how our kids stayed in the moment and stayed in the game," Craft said. "Basketball is all about runs. Each team will make their runs. It's the team that's the most composed and doesn't get rattled that's going to make those runs end quicker."

Craft credits North's playoff experience as part of the difference in the game. The Bulldogs went two rounds deep last postseason as Curran, Douglas, Otubu, Wilson, Brown and Pearre all had two or more games of playoff experience heading into tonight's affair.

"We did a better job than Texas High did because we have players that have that playoff experience," Craft said. "That's invaluable."

North will not know its area round opponent until Tuesday night, nor will the Bulldogs know when and where they will play next until Wednesday afternoon.

The Bulldogs are ready nonetheless to surpass last year's postseason run as they eye another playoff victory. It's a team Craft believes has the potential to be something special.

"Our kids understand it better this year than last year because they've been through it now and they know what it's going to take to keep winning in the playoffs," he said. "I think this team could be special. I think we have the talent to be special."

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