Photo Courtesy of Rex Teter.
Season Recap
14-13 (6-8 inbrdistrict)
The 2013-14 season proved to be a rollercoaster for EricbrMcDade and the Southlake boys basketball team. After a 19-14 record thebrprevious season, the Dragons lost four of their top five scorers. Despite thebrloss of scoring punch and some expected moments of inexperience, the team didbrshow flashes of brilliance as they finished with an overall winning record ofbr14-13. With 2014 already behind the Dragons, McDade’s squad is looking to makebrconsiderable strides in the upcoming season. br
Opening to a fast start, thebrDragons won their first three games in the Northeast ISD tournament thanks tobran imposing rebounding presence that dominated non-district opponents Denton,brHolmes and MacArthur before falling in the later two games of the tournament. Thebrteam finished fifth overall in a tough district 4-5A, which featured threebrteams with 20-plus wins topped by the Keller Indians (22-6). The Dragons faredbrbetter outside the district, finishing with a record of 8-5. Although thebrseason proved to be a challenging one, McDade says, “We've got some guys thatbrare real fired up about next year. We have six guys back, and it should be abrgood year, an exciting year.”
About the team
The Dragons faced a bit of adversity heading into thebr2013-14 season, losing four of five top scorers from the previous year. Scoringbrquickly came forward in 6-foot senior guard Sammie Silver, whose team-leadingbr10.8 ppg paced a balanced Carroll attack, which averaged 56.1 ppg. Hard tobrstop, the Dragons relied on a multi-headed approach to scoring that had sevenbrplayers contributing five or more points per game. Second in scoring thisbrseason was 6'3” sophomore wingman Lil' Jordan Humphrey who proved to be a hugebrasset, averaging 9.3 ppg to go along with 5.3 rpg and 1.2 bpg — all good forbrsecond on the team in each category. Seniors Cole Partyka and Andy Flores addedbr8.5 and 5.5 ppg, respectively. Shoring up the middle was the district's leadingbrrebounder and shot blocker Cooper Westland, whose 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocksbrper game ensured that opposing teams had to be prepared for a physical presencebrinside.
Along with Humphrey and juniorsbrHunter Summy (5.5 ppg) and Kirk Mason (5.2 ppg), McDade will return a fairbrshare of experience and scoring in addition to a sense of excitement headingbrinto the next season. “We really grew our crowds last season — they werebramazing. We also had nine outstanding seniors that did a great job for us,brreally helping to lay down the foundation for good things to come.”
Quote
“We had nine outstanding seniors that did a great job forbrus, really helping to lay down the foundation for some special things to come.brI am very excited about the future.”
Roster
Head Coach: Eric McDade
Assistant Coach: Jon Cravens, Jordan Willis