By EJ Holland
Photos nu Stewart Johnson
Expectations are always high for any athletic program at Southlake Carroll.
But that rings especially true for girls.brThe Lady Dragons have captured district titles every season since headbrcoach Teri Morrison came over frombrHewitt Midway seven years ago.
But with the loss of key players likebrpoint guard Kennedy Leonard, whobrsigned with Colorado upon graduation,brthis season's expectations should bebrtempered.br
“I thought we would maintain a pretty competitive team,” Morrison says.br“But we knew we were going to struggle with our point guard position. We'vebrdone some good things, but we'vebrstruggled with inexperience. I thoughtbrwe would be at around 17-8 right now.”br
Instead, Southlake Carroll sits atbr14-11 overall through its first 25 gamesbrand are still trying to find their way asbra team. Morrison is confident her teambrcan put it all together before the end ofbrdistrict play, especially after undergoingbra rigorous non-conference schedule.br
The Lady Dragons looked like theybrwere going to pick up right where theybrleft off last season after thrashing KellerbrCentral, 64-18, in the season opener andbrgetting off to a 4-1 start, with their onlybrloss coming in a close battle with Ar-brgyle.br
But Southlake Carroll faced plentybrof adversity in the Allen Tournament,brfalling to both Plano and San AntoniobrWagner. Things wouldn't get much bet-brter for Southlake Carroll as it droppedbrits next two games to Grapevine andbrArlington Bowie.
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After an impressive showing in the Canyon Tournament thatbrsaw Southlake Carroll take down Canadian, Wylie and AbilenebrWylie, the Lady Dragons again dropped back-to-back games—brthis time to Keller and McKinney North.br
With a gauntlet of a slate and a younger team still trying tobrgel, Southlake Carroll failed to find any consistency.br
“We probably played one of the toughest non-districtbrschedules,” Morrison says. “We played seven ranked teams andbrbeat four of them. Our schedule was tough, and I was happybrwith the way our team played.br
“If you play against the best, you have to find a way to contain them and play with them. What we learned is you can'tbrtake plays off. You have to be ready to take the ball up courtbrand play defense. It was a grind and we survived it.”br
Southlake Carroll used the experience it garnered in the pre-brseason to catch fire at the start of district play, winning gamesbragainst Haltom, Hurst L.D. Bell, Coppell and Richland—thebrLady Dragons also defeated Wolfforth Frenship and Brock inbrthe Mansfield Rotary Invitational during the holidays.br
District play, which is often referred to as the second season, is when Southlake Carroll thrives, and Morrison says shebris proud of the way her team performed in the four victories.
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“We've played extremely well,” Morrison says. “We've been rebounding well, scoring well and our free throw percentage hasbrbeen good. We're still working on protecting the ball, but overall,brwe were really happy with our 4-0 start.”br
Morrison has also been pleased with the rise of junior guardbrPriscilla Smeenge. The Lady Dragons' leading scorer, Smeenge,brhas been a force all season, averaging 15.2 points, 7.6 rebounds,br2.7 steals and 2.6 assists per game.br
“She plays great on both the offensive and defensive end,”brMorrison says. “She works extremely hard. She puts in the extrabreffort after practice. She stays long hours. Other players go homebrafter practice, and Priscilla doesn't. She's fun to coach.”br
Southlake Carroll has also received a boost in district play frombrthe leadership of seniors Anna Hurlburt, who is committed to Arkansas Little Rock, and Natalie Flexer.br
Hurlburt has been one of the area's best post players, averaging 13.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, whilebrFlexer has chipped in with 4.2 points per game and stellar play onbrdefense from her guard spot.br
“Natalie has provided great support to our young players,” Morrison says. “She's not one of our top scorers, but she's a captainbrand everyday she gets better. In the games that we've struggled,brshe's provided a lot of positive support.br
“Anna has been a great leader as well. She's a 6-foot-2 post,brand she's one of our assists leaders.
Her transition game is verybrgood. I've been very pleased with her and what she's been ablebrto do this year.”
Despite the fast start, Southlake Carroll lost its first districtbrgame since December of 2012 when Euless Trinity pummeled thebrLady Dragons, 54-29.br
“It's been a long time since we lost a district game,” Morrisonbrsays. “Trinity just outplayed us. We were shell-shocked. In district,bryou have to win those games. Our new kids have to understandbrthe importance of winning district games.”br
Southlake Carroll dropped its next district game as well, fallingbrto Colleyville Heritage, 54-47, just three days later.br
In order for the Lady Dragons to rebound from the defeats,brits underclassmen need to step up in a big way. Freshmen KaylabrColan, Rachel Seyler and Gabby McBride have all been contributors on varsity this season.br
“Those three freshmen are all impact players for us,” Morrisonbrsays. “We lost our sophomore Brooke Lay for the season, whichbrmakes it even more important for these freshmen to step up andbrgrow up in a hurry. I didn't think we would have three freshmen onbrthe court, but I'm very happy with their progress.”br
With their backs against the wall, it's time for the Lady Dragonsbrto rise for the occasion. A district title is still not out of the picture as Southlake Carroll will have the opportunity to avenge theirbrlosses to Euless Trinity and Colleyville Heritage later in the year.br
But more importantly, the Lady Dragons need to close out thebrseason strong in order to secure a playoff spot. Only half a dozenbrgames remain, and Southlake Carroll currently sits in third place.br
“We need to continue to work on protecting the ball and eliminating turnovers,” Morrison says. “I expect them to keep comingbrtogether as a team. We want to win out to be district champions.brWe want to keep that streak alive. But our No. 1 goal is play everybrgame and leave it on the floor.”