BULLARD — Instead of going to the bench after picking up his second foul less than four minutes in, Bullard Brook Hill's Grant Hanks went to work with his team trailing by three.
Hanks drilled back-to-back 3-pointers moments later to give the Guard the lead for good and finished with 28 points as Brook Hill pulled away in the second half for a 74-55 victory over Carrollton Christian Academy in a TAPPS 3A bi-district playoff at Herrington Sportscenter on Tuesday.
The Guard (18-11) will play Irving The Highlands, which beat Richardson Canyon Creek 64-61, on Saturday in the area playoffs.
Brook Hill overcame a huge night from Carrollton Christian's 6-5 junior Stephen Ugochukwu, who accounted for more than half his team's points (29) and rebounds (19), to go with two blocks, two steals and an assist.
Chase McDermott had 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for Brook Hill while freshman Alex Hale chipped in with 12 points and five assists.
The Saints (15-19) used a 7-0 run to take a 7-4 lead shortly after Hanks' second foul. Hanks then hit three 3-pointers, the last of which capped a 14-2 run. The sophomore point guard finished with 11 points in the first quarter to ensure Brook Hill never trailed again.
Hanks shot 5 of 7 from beyond the arc in the first half. As a team, the Guard were 10 for 20 on 3s.
"When he's on, it kind of generates confidence in everybody else," Brook Hill coach Wally Dawkins said of Hanks, who has more than 70 3-pointers on the year. "He's tough to stop.
"He's probably for a sophomore farther ahead offensively than any kid I've ever coached."
Brook Hill opened the second half on a 10-2 run and the Guard's lead swelled to 21 points with 1:40 left in the third when Andrew Swink drilled the second of his three 3-pointers to conclude another 10-2 burst.
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TAPPS 3A Bi-District Playoff
At Herrington Sportscenter
Bullard Brook Hill 74, Carrollton Christian Academy 55
Car. Christian 11 16 8 20 — 55
Brook Hill 18 16 22 18 — 74
CARROLLTON CHRISTIAN — Wesley VanSteenbergen, 8; Michael Bass, 4; Maddock May, 10; Jacob Thompson, 4; Stephen Ugochukwu, 29. FG: 20-51. FT: 12-15.
BROOK HILL — Alex Hale, 12; Grant Hanks, 28; Chase McDermott, 21; Andrew Swink, 9; Jake Anderson, 2; Malik Alley, 2. FG: 29-63. FT: 4-10.
THREE POINT GOALS — CCA (3-15): May, Ugochukwu. BH (10-20): Hanks (5), McDermott (2), Swink (3).
RECORDS — Carrollton Christian 15-19; Brook Hill 18-11.
NEXT UP — Brook Hill vs. Irving The Highlands, Saturday, TBD.