Stewart Johnson
It was one of those nights for the Lady Dragons basketball team. Shots weren't falling consistently. Turnovers happened more often than desired. The rhythm of the game just seemed a little off.
But that didn't stop Carroll coach Robyn McCoart from smiling when the final buzzer sounded for her team's district contest with Fossil Ridge. One glance at the scoreboard was all she needed.
The final result was a 41-33 win. It wasn't pretty by any means, but it meant her team was back on track in the 5-6A race after an 0-2 start to district play.
"We got a win," says McCoart, a former Carroll student and basketball player in her second year at the helm of the Lady Dragons' program. "And I'll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day."
The game approach that McCoart preaches, and the subsequent style of play the Lady Dragon’s display on the court, is perfect for the challenging district in which they find themselves. “Keep on fighting” is her message. Tenacity on defense, determination for rebounds and a team-wide effort on offense are trademarks of this season’s squad. Carroll is no stranger to grinding it out in order to walk away on top.
An 18-point loss to Keller and a 19-point loss to Denton Guyer — teams expected to finish at the top in 5-6A — was a tough way to start district competition, but the Lady Dragons clawed their way back into the playoff hunt by winning their next four district games over Trophy Club Byron Nelson, Fossil Ridge, Keller Central and Northwest Eaton.
Setting up a tough pre-district schedule is now paying dividends for McCoart’s team. Carroll posted wins over 10 teams that made the playoffs in 2019, including TAPPS 6A state champ Bishop Lynch and 6A regional semifinalist College Station. The Lady Dragons (18-8 through 26 games) learned how to battle strong opposition and have brought that fight into district play.
That experience, along with a keep-at-it attitude, is giving Carroll the spark they need as they get ready for the stretch run.
“What are you doing when the shots aren’t falling? You have to rebound, you have to hustle, you have to work,” says McCoart, whose team has already surpassed the 16 wins it logged last year when Carroll went 16-17 and returned to the playoffs for the first time in three years. “You have to fight like your life depends on it.”
Carroll boys basketball coach Eric McDade knows well what the fight is all about. A tough district lineup caused him to go out and find stiff competition for his Dragons to face early on. His unproven team went 8-11 heading into district, hoping the high-caliber opposition would strengthen his team for 5-6A action.
The first game in district was against another highly touted team in Byron Nelson, as the Bobcats handed Carroll loss No. 12.
“Of those 12 losses, seven of them came against state-ranked opponents,” says McDade, whose team fell to the likes of No. 8 South Grand Prairie, No. 11 Coppell and No. 16 L.D. Bell earlier in the season. “We were pretty green starting out, but when you pound yourself against that difficult rock, it’s like they say — iron sharpens iron. That gets you ready for big games like [district].”
District poses its share of challenges, the biggest one coming in the form of Denton Guyer, a team ranked No. 6 in the state by MaxPreps. Combine that with the fact that the Dragons return just four starters from last year’s 18-15 playoff team, and the obstacles become apparent. Carroll has 13 seniors on its roster, but few of them have substantial varsity experience.
And unlike last year, the Dragons have no Brandon Haddock (5-6A Offensive MVP) to offer his 24 points per game. Haddock is currently seeing some playing time as a freshman at Utah. But despite posting a 1-3 start through their first four district games, the Carroll boys wanted to make it clear that the battle had only begun.
“We came into this year with a lot of inexperience, not as many returners or starters coming back,” says senior guard Daniel Sommerhalder, a returning letterman who’s second on the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game. “So we just had to play with a chip on our shoulder and make sure we weren’t seen as a team that was an underdog or a team that was under-performing.
“This district’s pretty tough, from the best team to the worst team. Your win-loss ratio can always go down to a few seconds left in the game, a few plays at the end. That can really be detrimental or can really help you out, so we just have to make sure we’re taking every possession seriously and that we’re playing the best that we can.”
Stewart Johnson
Gritty And Tough
The Lady Dragons have no problem playing gritty. McCoart reminds her players that they don’t have to cry about missing a shot that would’ve looked pretty. You can’t always control if your shot is on, so control what you can.
Focusing on strong defense and grabbing rebound are two of the most important components of the Carroll girls’ game. The shots will eventually fall, but make limiting the opponent’s opportunities the biggest priority, she says.
“If you get 55 points on us, there’s a good chance we’re not winning,” says McCoart, whose team was allowing less than 40 points per game at one point. “We don’t have a ton of offensive powerhouses. I look at them and tell them, ‘This is who you’re guarding. Shut her down.’ If you can’t shut somebody down, you’re not going to win the game. We preach defense and rebounding. If you can board and play defense, a lot of times you’re going to come out on top.”
Junior guard Kaelyn Riley has taken that message to heart. Though just 5-foot-7, she’s leading the Lady Dragons in rebounds with 6.5 per game, including an average of 8.3 rebounds through the first six district games.
“It’s just basically about my work ethic,” Riley says. “I see a ball and I’m like, ‘That’s mine, I’m going to go get it.’ I’ll just throw my body into it and grab the ball.”
Riley has also proven she can bounce back despite injury setbacks. At the MT Rice Tournament over the Christmas break, Riley suffered a broken nose during play against one of Carroll’s opponents on Saturday. It caused her to miss two games, but the only thing that slowed her down was having to get a note from the doctor. She was practicing again by Tuesday.
“The games after it happened, it was pretty hard for me to sit on the sideline and watch it go on,” says Riley, who McCoart describes as a beast on the court. “The next game was a physical game and I just love physical games. But I know, ‘my teammates got this,’ and that they were going to step up. And that’s exactly what they did.”
Stewart Johnson
Living And Learning
The boys team is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to finding ways to get better. Losses are not the only times the Dragons intend to contemplate where they can improve. All games provide the opportunity.
“From the games before district, we just need to keep building from them, learn from the wins and losses,” says senior forward Trae Williams. “Every game is like a learning experience. If we win a game, there still might be some areas that we need to fix. From losses, we still have to fix some errors."
Carroll is finding that more offense is necessary to beat the likes of Guyer and Byron Nelson, as well as other 5-6A opponents. Luckily, some of the Dragons varsity newcomers are supplying the offense needed. Senior guard Ben Johnson is leading the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game. Senior guard Russell Hyman is third on the team in scoring with 8.6 per game.
Team effort is a big theme for the Carroll boys as well. Void of an area superstar, the Dragons know everyone has to chip in if they want to be successful. That's fine with the team because Carroll has the drive to do whatever it takes to win, says senior guard Graham Chernik.
"I think we're all very hungry. We've all worked together a lot," Chernik says. "We're just going to keep putting in that work for as long as it takes to go where we want to be. Whether that's winning district or making the playoffs, we're going to do whatever it takes to be where we want to be as a team."
Stewart Johnson
Tested Leadership, Bright Future
It's not the same breakout season it was last year for senior captain Jillian Sowell. As a junior, the Lady Dragon averaged 18.7 points per game and led the area in 3-point makes with 111. Through 26 games this year, Sowell averaged 12.3 points — still making her the top scorer on the team — but it's other areas of her game that have risen to a new level.
"When you come into the gym, you know that she's the leader," McCoart says of Sowell's vocal and communication skills. "She's encouraging people, talking on defense. Her leadership is a hundred times better than it was last year, no comparison. And it wasn't bad last year, either. She just really upped her game in that area.
Her inside game, rebounding and defense are also vastly improved, making her a more well-rounded player. She's also learning to have amnesia if she misses a shot or has an off-game offensively because her team still looks to her to take the big shots.
"It's my last year, so I've just got to give it all I've got," says Sowell, who made the All-Tournament team at the Cowtown Classic in December. "I know that not every game is going to be my shooting game, but if I'm not shooting well I need to drive, or if I'm not driving, I need to distribute the ball to other people who are hot. If I know I'm not hitting shots in this game, I know I will in the next game. I just need to have that mentality."
Carroll teammates have stepped up to join Sewell in providing offense this season, including freshman Camryn Tade. Tade is second in scoring and rebounding (10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds through 26 games), giving the Lady Dragons plenty of hope once Sowell passes the torch.
"Everyone knows their role," Tade says of her first-year varsity observations. "We have people who can shoot, those who drive, people who rebound. I think all-around abilities are really our strength. Everyone's always there for each other. Even when you're not having the best game, your teammates are going to be there for you."
Continuing The Legacy
Despite the unique challenges of this season, Carroll's hoop teams won't abandon their hoop dreams. They still believe any setbacks they've encountered can be overcome, and doing their part to protect the tradition is a big part of their drive.
"We decided at the beginning of the season that we're all just going to buy in and just give hard work on every single play," says junior captain and point guard Brittney Flexer. "Coach says if you play as hard as you can, you won't have regrets with how you played. We've all bought into that."
McDade has seen that same desire from the Carroll boys on the court in practice and in games. Despite a slow start to the season and district, he expects his Dragons to battle until the end.
"There's a tradition and a confidence to knowing that when you put that jersey on, you're playing for something really special," he says. "There are a lot of Carroll teams that came before them that did well, and they want to do well and leave their mark, too."