GARLAND--After winning just five district games last season and missing out on the playoffs, Rowlett set a modest goal of contending for the postseason this year.

But inside the locker room, the Eagles believed they were capable of much more.

Rowlett started to realize its potential late in non-district play and it carried over into a 5-0 start in 11-5A.

On Friday, the Eagles' hot play continued with their biggest victory to date as they held off a late Lakeview run for a 61-54 victory in a clash of undefeated teams at Lakeview Centennial High School.

Rowlett has now won 11 consecutive games overall and at 6-0 in district play, it moves one game ahead of the Patriots (5-1, 13-12) for first place in 11-5A.

"Confidence-wise, this was big," Rowlett head coach Ricky Roland said. "I think this and the Naaman Forest game (57-37 win on Jan. 5) really put it in their minds that they are capable on winning these tough games."

Playing on the road, the Eagles got off to the start they wanted to, grabbing a 13-10 lead after one quarter.

But they remained wary of an explosive Lakeview team that had scored 111 points in its last outing against North Garland.

It was Rowlett that erupted in the second quarter, though, going on a 23-5 run to take a commanding 36-15 lead into halftime.

"In the second quarter, I thought our press got to them," Roland said. "We like up tempo ourselves and when we got good defensive pressure and are able to handle their pressure, we were really clicking and were able to get that big lead."

The Patriots refused to go away, chipping five points off the deficit in the third quarter and creeping even closer in the fourth.

But Rowlett had enough answers, as behind 20 points from Dominique Oliver, the Eagles were able to avoid any overly anxious moments at the end. It is the kind of performance the team has come to expect from Oliver, a senior who has played a key role on the varsity since her freshman year.

"She (Oliver) is just dependable." Roland said. "I had her older sister, Devin, for four years, and now I've had her for four years, so I've had an Oliver since I have been coaching here. Just like her sister, Dominique is dependable, she wants the ball late in games and knows what it takes to win. Even if her shot is not falling, she doesn't get frustrated, she goes back down and makes plays on the defensive end."

Rowlett has come a long way since a 3-6 start to the season. The Eagles prefer to push the pace, but Roland felt they were not doing enough of that early on. Since recommitting to their preferred style of play, they have posted a 14-1 record.

"I was disappointed with how we played early on, but I thought we had the potential to be a lot better," Roland said. "We started playing better at the Garland Invitational where we lost a close game to Highland Park and then won three straight and then I think I made a coaching error against Rockwall (36-30 loss) because of how I thought they could handle our press, but since then, we've just gone hard, full tilt and we've been able to go on this streak."

Rowlett will have a bye when the second half of the district season gets started on Tuesday. As they believed they could before the start of the season, they have turned potential into results during their impressive run to the top of the standings.

But they understand there is still a long way to go, and with their position in the driver's seat for the 11-5A championship, they want much more than that modest goal of contending for a playoff spot.

"The girls understand that if we get after it defensively, our offense will take care of itself," Roland said. "This is a good group, they are always in good spirits and it is a fun group. I used to be a football coach and I still have that mentaility and sometimes teams don't respond well to that, but this group does. They understand what it takes and they don't complain, they just grit their teeth and work even harder."

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