Now is not the time to look too far ahead, but it’s got to be a good feeling to be in the Carrollton Warriors’ position. With only two games remaining on their Eastern Buckeye Conference schedule, Carrollton controls its own destiny.

Winning out would guarantee the Warriors at least a share of the conference championship, an honor they last experienced in 2023 when they shared the title with Alliance.

Speaking of Alliance, the Warriors’ resounding 53-41 road victory over the Aviators on Jan. 21 brought all of this into focus.

The high-flying Aviators had appeared to be one of the frontrunners for the conference title until a somewhat surprising 58-54 loss at Carrollton earlier in the season set off a slump in which Alliance lost four of five games.

Still, that Warriors’ loss was the Aviators’ only EBC blemish, so when they welcomed Carrollton, Alliance was riding a five-game winning streak and appeared to be in the driver’s seat for the conference championship.

Not anymore.

Carrollton took command early and dampened the raucous Alliance home crowd, cruising to a 22-14 lead after the first quarter. The Aviators, however, are a talented, hardworking team, and they slowly clawed back in the second quarter, narrowing the Warriors’ lead to 27-21 at halftime.

Despite holding a lead on the road, Carrollton coach Mike Aukerman knew his team was capable of better.

“I told the guys at halftime that I didn’t think we played a very good first half,” he said. “We were up six, and I thought if we did things a little bit better in the second half, we’d get out of here with a win.”

The Warriors improved, but not right away. In the third quarter, Alliance continued to whittle away at Carrollton’s lead while applying constant pressure on players like freshman point guard Tayvian Johnson and Braylen Murphy, who had scored 36 points against Marlington just four days earlier.

Murphy’s night may not have been as productive, but the energy Alliance exerted trying to shut him down opened opportunities for others, including Jayven Johnson and Andrew Birong, who is still working back into form following an injury.

“They were hounding [Murphy] tonight, making things difficult,” Aukerman said of his star guard. “But he did a good job using that pressure against them. And Jay got involved, and Andrew did a heck of a job coming back from injury. Obviously, Tayvian had a lot of pressure on him.”

By the end of the third quarter, Alliance had nearly erased Carrollton’s lead, leaving the Warriors nursing a fragile one-point advantage. But in the fourth quarter, Carrollton found another gear, outscoring the Aviators 17-6 to seal the victory and complete the season sweep.

Even with the season sweep, Aukerman remains focused on the next opponent.

“Right now, it’s a one-game season,” Aukerman said. “In order to win the league, you’ve got to win the next game. Over the last six or seven games, we’ve been playing pretty well, scoring the ball. Tonight was a little uglier, but they don’t all have to be pretty as long as it’s a win.”

Like Carrollton, Alliance still controls its destiny, as the EBC does not have a head-to-head tiebreaker. However, their position is far more precarious than it was a week ago.

A loss by Alliance to either Minerva at home or Marlington on the road, coupled with wins by the Warriors over West Branch at home and Minerva on the road, would mean Carrollton could hoist the conference trophy alone for the first time since the 2010-2011 season.

“I was an assistant in my first year at Carrollton that year, and my assistant coach Andrew Collins was the sixth man on that team as a sophomore,” Aukerman recalled.

Murphy led the Warriors with 11 points and four rebounds. Tayvian Johnson and Birong each scored 10 points, while Everett Brooks added nine. Jayven Johnson had a standout performance, scoring seven points, leading Carrollton with eight rebounds, and contributing a deflection, a steal, and a blocked shot.

“It just says a lot about our guys that we’re not a one-man show. On any day, one guy can pop off for 20, and we can have a couple of guys in the teens,” Aukerman said. “I’m just really proud of our effort – a gritty, tough win on the road. And any road win in the league is a big win, so I’m proud of our guys.”

Kam Burton led Alliance (9-5, 5-2) with 12 points, while JR Jackson added 11 points and six rebounds.

Carrollton continued its strong play on Jan. 24, racking up its seventh win in eight games by defeating visiting Salem, 59-48.

The Warriors took an early three-point lead after the first quarter but stumbled in the second, allowing Salem to score 20 points and take a 31-27 halftime lead.

The Warriors adjusted in the second half, taking control with a 22-9 third-quarter run.

Murphy led Carrollton with 17 points, while Tayvian Johnson added 13. Birong had a strong night, leading the team with 13 rebounds while scoring five points. Jayven Johnson flirted with a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds. Bryce Lonca chipped in seven points and five assists.

Carrollton improved to 9-5 overall and is tied with Alliance, which defeated West Branch, at 6-2 atop the EBC.