Southlake Carroll had left the rugged TPC Oaks Course following a “horrible day,” determined to prove its worth. Lee rode a late surge in the round to move into contention for an elusive medal, knowing the momentum could be short-lived. The approaches yielded second-place finishes for each, only one day after the course and wind left competitors either in tears or questioning their ability to play the sport.

The Dragons, sparked by Gia Ahlowalia’s tournament-best 4-under 68, carded a 303 — the best by any team over the two days — to finish at 628 and earn the silver in the team race. Austin Westlake (628) won the title. Austin Vandegrift, winner of two of the past three state crowns, was third at 633.

“We’ve played so good this year, and I just felt like we had to get out there and prove Southlake is a top-three team,” Ahlowalia said. 

The Dragons, with each of their five players either improving on or repeating their first-round scores, had a 22-stroke improvement from round one to go from fourth place to second.  Ahlowalia, who finished one shot off the podium, was 12 shots better on Tuesday than on Monday.

Stephanie DeMarco, who had a first-round 89, shot a 76 on Tuesday. Freshman Olivia Neal had a 78, Tyler Burtnett an 81 and Aubrie Nolen an 82.

“I just went into today with a different approach of, ‘Everything’s for the team, and go out there, look forward and don’t look behind you,’” DeMarco said. “I think what’s good about this team is we’re very good at taking criticism and understanding that yesterday we had a horrible day, we can go out here today and start fresh. We did a great job of remembering it’s for all of us.”

Lee made the most of her third straight appearance at state. She was third a year ago in the medalist competition and was 24 shots behind third place in 2024. The Illinois signee fired a 2-under 70, six shots better than her round Monday, to climb the standings. Katy Jordan’s Carolyn Liu took first after a second straight 71 to finish at 142.

Tied for sixth were Trophy Club Byron Nelson’s Elle Pistana (75-151), Coppell’s Riya Bapna (75-151) and Prosper’s Tatum Churchman (79-151), who was second after a first-round 72.

“Getting the momentum from yesterday, that definitely helped for today’s round,” Lee said. “Since it’s my last high school tournament, it was very meaningful to get second. I wasn’t trying to think too much. I was able to stay calm throughout the round.”