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Going the distance: Boyd tops resilient McKinney in near upset
BY Richard C. White, rwhite@starlocalnews.com
MCKINNEY -- In one of the wildest matches either team played all year, McKinney Boyd stymied an upset-minded McKinney squad Tuesday night, winning the regular-season finale in five sets (25-14, 23-25, 20-25, 25-16, 15-9).
"We need to learn how to fight back faster, but hats off to McKinney High School," said Kelly Quinn, Boyd head coach. "They played outstanding. They played the best I've ever seen them."
Boyd won on McKinney's Senior Night in front of a packed crowd that saw the scrappy home team give the two-time defending district champs everything they had.
The Lady Broncos improved to 32-7 overall and 9-1 in 10-5A, having clinched the district a week ago, while the Lionettes finish at 18-22 overall and 0-10 in district.
Megan Mollett and Kelly Koop led the Lady Broncos with 23 and 17 kills, respectively. Mollett was also the top contributor with 33 digs, followed by Kaley Seaber's 27.
The Lady Broncos took the first set, 25-15, before dropping the next two to the Lady Lionettes and having to play from behind. Quinn warned her players before the match of the threat posed by a hungry cross-town rival like McKinney.
"I told our girls that today, [McKinney] had nothing to lose. They came out and gave us everything they had," Quinn said. "The way they played, it says they've got a great coach and they never let up. They fought us to the end."
The Lady Broncos jumped out to a 12-1 lead in the first set, and led by as many as 13 as it appeared Boyd was well on its way to a rout.
McKinney, however, showed strong resolve and took the next two.
"We got really excited when we came out to start the night," Quinn said. "And then when we came down a little bit, they came up and fought back. They were fighting harder than we were at the time."
McKinney's comeback began at the tail end of the first set when they matched Boyd 11-11 to close out the opener. McKinney would lead by as many as eight in the second set before fighting through a much tougher, but still rewarding third set victory, putting them just one set away from upsetting the reigning district champions.
"We just had to get warmed up," Camp said. "We just kept our composure and we knew we could play them well. We hold our heads high and we just keep playing and do what we can do."
The pendulum, however, would swing once more as the Lady Broncos staged a comeback of their own to top the Lionettes in the final two sets.
"Our girls were down, but we fought back," Quinn said. "I told them we were still learning how to fight, but I told them I was proud of them because it's hard to come back when you're down a set, but they did it."
Pushing the district's best team to the brink was a fitting tribute on Senior Night.
"I told the girls I was proud of them," Camp said. "My seniors are a great group of kids and they've gone through a lot in their four years of high school and they ended it with a bang."
Boyd, which advanced to the Class 5A State Finals last season, opens the playoffs at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against Skyline. That match is the second part of a doubleheader at Richardson Berkner that will begin with Allen versus Richardson Pearce.
The Lady Broncos have won nine straight heading into the postseason.
"That's the idea, taking this momentum into the playoffs," Quinn said. "I think this says a lot about our character, that we do know how to fight back. We're still learning and I don't think we've peaked yet and that's a good thing."
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