Fort Worth Lake Country Christian girls basketball won the TAPPS 4A state championship Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
Abby Pfaff
Courtesy to the Star-Telegram
ROBINSON
The Fort Worth Lake Country Christian Eagles claimed their second TAPPS 4A girls basketball state championship in three years — and eighth overall — with a 67-47 victory over the Austin Hill Country Knights on Friday at Robinson High School.
Following a competitive opening period, Lake Country Christian dominated the final three quarters.
Fort Worth Lake Country Christian girls basketball is seen after winning the TAPPS Class 4A state championship Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. Abby Pfaff/TAPPS MEDIA
After yielding the opening basket to the Knights, the Eagles used 3-pointers by McKenna Grella sandwiched around a basket from London Chandler to forge an 8-2 lead.
Austin Hill Country managed to tie the game at 13-all before a basket by Sadie Gough gave the Eagles a 15-13 advantage after the first quarter.
Lake Country Christian then took over to start the second period. Grella’s 3-pointer fueled a 16-2 burst to begin the quarter, highlighted by a pair of threes from Chandler. Lake Country Christian held a 36-20 lead at intermission.
The Eagles maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half, with a Chandler bucket midway through the fourth period giving the Eagles a 27-point lead, its largest of the game at 64-37.
Grella, who had five threes in the game, mirrored her fast start from Lake Country Christian’s 42-33 semifinal triumph in dethroning five-time state champion Lubbock Christian a day earlier. In that game, she hit three of her five long-range baskets in the opening quarter, finishing with a game-high 17 points.
“Practice, practice, practice,” Grella said of the fast starts. “Get good looks. Amazing job from teammates getting me the ball. And just a matter of hitting the shots.”
Head coach Josh Blok, in his third season, says his team has been an excellent three-point force throughout the season. “Making threes has been a major part of our offense all year,” said Blok. “Great court spacing by the players.” The Eagles had 10 3-pointers in the title game, after having made seven in the semifinal win.
Blok emphasized that those open looks are keyed by his defense, which he says has been the team’s “calling card all the way to winning the title”.
“Our players do such a great job in pressure defense, and that triggers our fast break that results in a lot of open looks.”
No. 2 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) final rankings on Feb. 9, Lake Country Christian has been led by a quartet of senior starters — London, Grella, Erika Hancock and Gough. The four led the way in the championship.
London finished with a game-high 23 points, including 13 in the second period when the Eagles outscored the Knights 21-7. Grella totaled 15 points on her five triples; Hancock finished with 11 points and 19 rebounds. Gough had nine points.
“Great way to go out,” said London. “Total team effort.”
Hancock, a Hardin Simmons signee, was a force on the boards in both state tournament games, pulling down 16 in the semifinal win over Lubbock Christian.
“When the ball is in the air, I feel it is mine. That is my job. I take a lot of pride in my defense and rebounding,” said Hancock, a 2025 first-team all state selection after 2024 second-team honors.
Hancock and Chandler were part of the team’s 2024 title team, and both said this one is just as sweet. “Erika and I have been playing together since like fourth or fifth grade,” said Chandler, a 2024 first-team all-state selection and second-team pick the following season. “To do this again together and with this team and this senior class is so very special.”
Gough, who had 12 points in the semifinal win, has been with this team for two years, as has Grella. “I have never been a part of a championship team,” said Gough. “This is just so amazing.”
Making its 19th Final Four appearance, Lake Country Christian (32-5) avoided a letdown after knocking off five-time defending state champion Lubbock Christian (4A crowns in 2021 and 2022, then 3A titles in 2023 and 2024, then moving back up to 4A last season) in the semis. “No way were we gonna lose,” said Chandler. “We beat them and knew we had one more win to go. We were fired up and ready to go.”
Blok said he challenged his team after the win over Lubbock Christian, the team that ousted Lake Country in last year’s state semifinal. “Finish the job,” said Blok. “No letdown. And I repeated that to them at halftime of this title game. And the girls did a great job of finishing.”
Lake Country had cruised to a pair of playoff wins in reaching the Final Four — a 55-29 area round win over Colleyville Covenant Christian, and a 46-18 rout of Trinity Christian Willow Park in the regional.
Chandler, Grella and Gough were named to the 10-player all-tournament team.
No. 3 in the TABC rankings, Austin Hill Country Christian (28-10) — winners of 19 straight games entering the championship game — was making its initial Final Four appearance. They were paced by Riley Teeter, who had a team-leading 15 points.