Timid start creates insurmountable point deficit in bi-district matchup against McKinney
February 23, 2022
FRISCO – At one point during the Coppell boys basketball team’s season, wrought with injuries and a shifting starting lineup, it looked to Coppell coach Clint Schnell as though they might not make it to the playoffs.
The Cowboys fought their way to the playoffs against McKinney in the end. However, while stacked with a series of talented veterans, vocal leaders and prodigious new blood, the Cowboys went on to put up only 12 points in the first half of their playoff match, and fell to McKinney, 55-43, in the Class 6A Region I bi-district playoffs.
“We’ve put a lot of time and effort and love into this game for it to be over at this level,” Coppell senior guard Devank Rane said. “We’re feeling a lot of disappointment, a lot of sadness. It’s going to suck for a minute but we’re going to learn from this lesson and grow from it.”
Coppell senior small forward Ryan Agarwal led the Cowboys through the first quarter, putting up 10 points in the first five minutes to combat McKinney’s offensive onslaught, led by junior small forward Ja’Kobe Walter. The first two points of the game were scored by Agarwal even before tipoff, on free throws from a McKinney technical foul.
“The moment wasn’t too big for him,” Scnhell said. “He wanted to get out there and get his team going and I thought he did that.”
The Lions, finding their rhythm and making a 9-3 run, came into the second quarter with momentum on their side. With McKinney insurmountable defensively, Coppell senior guard Noel Berhe scored the Cowboys’ only two points in the second quarter to finish out the first half with the Lions in the lead, 22-12.
“We seemed a little scared,” Rane said. “We didn’t come out ready to fight like they did and that’s really what gave this game away.”
At halftime, Schnell issued Coppell a challenge: play with the strength, aggressiveness and intent he thought they possessed, or let the game fly out of their hands. With six Lion turnovers in the second quarter, closing the gap would not prove an impossible feat for the Cowboys.
“We played one of our worst halves of the season,” Rane said. “We knew that we couldn’t give up then; we knew we had to fight our way out and give ourselves a chance to win, which we did. We knew that we had an opportunity to win this game but it wasn’t just going to come to us. We had to go out and take it and go out and fight for it.”
Fight for it they did. The Cowboys put up 18 points in the third quarter, with senior guard Parker Clark coming off the bench to lead the charge and Agarwal following suit, putting up another 10 points. Reinvigorated, Coppell cut down its deficit to 50-43 in the third.
“Parker played phenomenal,” Schnell said. “I probably should have doubled his minutes.”
At one point in the game, the Lions had three fouls to the Cowboys comparative 11, a point of contention for Coppell fans.
“They call it like they see it,” Schnell said. “If they’re not going to call a tight game, if they’re going to let things get played, that doesn’t really fit the caliber of the player we’ve got. So that didn’t help us a whole lot. It’s one of those things you’ve got to play through and control what you can control
The second half surge was not enough for the Cowboys to overcome McKinney’s structured defense and overbearing offense, as Walter and McKinney senior guard Devin Vincent chipped in 12 points each.
“This time of year, every single team’s going to be disappointed but one,” Schnell said. “So you just go out there and fight for the opportunity. We’re disappointed because we could have played better but we had a phenomenal season. I always tell my guys at the end of the year: one game doesn’t define you. They had a lot of big games this year; they fought through a ton of adversity, injuries and different starting lineups and a lot of youth on the roster. I’m proud of them for everything.”
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