Southlake Carroll girls crushed their district. How far can the Dragons go?
One year ago in the bi-district playoffs, Southlake Carroll girls basketball fell 57-26 to Boswell, the eventual Class 6A Division II state champion.
It was a step back for Carroll, a program that had to deal with the transfer of multiple key players.
The team had made the regional semifinals in four consecutive years, establishing a local powerhouse that consistently placed at the top of its district.
But since then, after one down year, Carroll has a revamped roster, and a variety of new faces have taken on key roles. Now, ahead of the 2026 playoffs, the Dragons (29-1, 15-0 District 4-6A) are arguably better than ever and are the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ No. 6-ranked squad in Class 6A.
They won the District 4-6A championship outright with a dominant 63-36 victory over L.D. Bell on Tuesday. It’s the fifth district title in six seasons for a program that has made the playoffs in eight consecutive years.
Head coach Robyn McCoart, who now has a 205-62 record in her career, said the team being 100% bought in has led to success, allowing the Dragons to focus on the game plan. She said tenacity and relentless play have powered the strong year.
“We focus on defense and rebounding, defense and rebounding, and we believe that offense is going to come,” McCoart said. “We work on offense, but like, we know we have to win the battle of the boards every game, and we try to hold our opponents to below 40 points. That’s our goal.”
Carroll has held opponents to 29.2 points per game. The Dragons outrebound opponents by an average of 9.4 per game and force a whopping 25.7 turnovers a game while conceding 10.7 — a plus-15 turnover margin.
The team’s only loss of the year is to Argyle, the No. 5-ranked Class 5A program.
The team’s strong chemistry has nothing to do with the X’s and O’s of basketball, McCoart said. It’s as simple as never having off-court issues, which is largely because the team has developed strong camaraderie away from basketball.
It’s created a team-first, selfless mentality, which has made success and on-court chemistry come naturally, McCoart said.
That “team over me” mentality starts with the seniors, she said, even though there are only four on the roster. The team is young, with several underclassmen having key roles.
“They’ll come up on the weekends, they’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that the freshmen are getting what they need, which is really cool,” McCoart said of the group.
She said leadership has been one of the more special aspects of the season.
“I always say it starts with leadership, right?” McCoart said. “Because on good teams, coaches hold players accountable, but on great teams, players hold players accountable.”
That aspect is crucial, and junior guard Whitney Jense is one of the main driving forces. She is averaging a team-high 18.4 points and also leads the way in rebounding (6.9), assists (3.9), steals (3.8) and blocks (1.9).
“She’s a phenomenal leader,” McCoart said. “She’s a great kid. She works really hard, and she has an awesome attitude. So, that’s already a long list, right? And then you add in that she guards the best player on the other team a lot. … She never talks about herself, never asks for the ball, and is just very unselfish.”
Angelina Bouley, a sophomore guard with a knack for shooting, has helped power the offense. She has made 76 3-pointers this season and averages 12.9 points while shooting 35% from distance.
“She is really calm under pressure,” McCoart said. “Some kids are just shooters, right? She has a knack for finding the basket. I mean, we try to run plays for her and Whitney to get open for shots, because we know we have a good chance of it going in.”
Rounding out the balanced scoring attack is sophomore Mattie Renda, the cousin of Carroll quarterback Angelo Renda, the 2025 Star-Telegram Player of the Year. She averages 7.2 per game and is efficient, shooting 47% from the field.
Senior Payton Lee contributes 6.4 points and 3.3 assists per game and thrives on the glass, grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game. She shoots 33% from the 3-point line, contributing to one of the Dragons’ key offensive strengths. All four top scorers shoot 33% or better from beyond the arc.
Playoffs around the corner
With a smaller enrollment compared to the top District 4-6A teams, Carroll will play in the Class 6A Division II bracket. Even with a stellar record and momentum, the path ahead is treacherous. The team will be faced with a gauntlet of some of the best in Texas, but the Dragons will focus on what they can control, McCoart said.
“It’s going to be tough,” McCoart said. “Teams that make the playoffs do so for a reason. So, we’re going to prepare like we always do. We tell the girls, success is when preparation meets opportunity.”
Despite their relative youth, Jense and Bouley have helped maintain one of the most efficient offenses in Texas, averaging 58.1 points per contest. McCoart gave some credit to the Dragons’ scout team, a group of boys who helps them practice by getting acclimated to strong, fast competition.
It’s been working, as District 4-6A games haven’t been close. Carroll has won every district contest by 10 points or more. In total, they have outscored their opponents 1,744-876.
Will that success translate to the playoffs? The Dragons may not have the same experience as some teams they’ll meet, yet they are super confident in three areas: preparation, executing a game plan and letting team chemistry shine.
The bi-district round commences Feb. 16. Carroll’s last district game is Friday against Keller Central.
Girls basketball is Carroll’s most recent powerhouse program in an incredibly strong overall year in athletics. The Dragons lead the race for the University Interscholastic League’s Lone Star Cup, which honors Texas’ best athletic and academic programs in every classification.
Carroll leads Class 6A squads with 67 points and holds a 13-point advantage over Bridgeland in the Houston area.
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