By Ray Sarvis
FPS Correspondent
Sure, the calendar was clear. The Carrollton boys’ basketball team did indeed have two games scheduled over the past week.
But for all intents and purposes, there was only one game that the coaches, players, and Carrollton faithful were pointing to—a visit to archrival Minerva on Feb. 7 with no less than a share of the Eastern Buckeye Conference title on the line.
Carrollton, which lost to Minerva at home earlier this season, repaid the Lions with a 66-59 victory to cap a stellar 8-2 EBC campaign. Their reward? For the second time in three seasons, Carrollton shares the conference crown with Alliance, a team the Warriors swept.
A month ago, Carrollton was 6-5 overall and, halfway through its slate of EBC contests, stood at 3-2 in the conference following a 45-38 loss at home to Minerva. Since then, the Warriors have gone undefeated, winning seven consecutive games, including five in the conference.
That moment was a case of déjà vu for Carrollton coach Mike Aukerman.
“We knew we had to run the table to have a chance to win the league again,” he said. “It was the same scenario as two years ago; after we lost that first game to Alliance, we knew we had to win out to have a chance.”
The Warriors came out aggressively, knocking the Lions back on their heels in the first half as they outscored Minerva 19-11 in a pivotal second quarter. This allowed Carrollton to walk off the court with a 33-24 lead at intermission.
In rivalry games, though, records don’t matter. Minerva refused to roll over, cutting the deficit to six points in the second half on the strength of its bread and butter—outside shooting. Jayden Yerger and Owen Shick connected on four 3-pointers apiece, while Rowen Hoffee nailed two more. Minerva finished with 11 threes overall.
“They shot the heck out of the ball,” Aukerman said. “I felt like every time we tried to nudge ahead, they hit another three, and another three. But I told our guys we don’t flinch. That’s the story of our season. When the going gets tough, we keep battling.”
Carrollton was no slouch from beyond the arc either, as the Warriors sank 10 3-pointers, including three apiece by shooting guard Braylen Murphy and point guard Tayvian Johnson, who scored a game-high 19 points.
“I can’t say enough about how the freshman Tayvian played,” Aukerman said. “Absolutely outstanding in the fourth quarter.”
But as has been the case all season, this victory was a team effort—one in which Aukerman pointed out all four seniors—Murphy, Andrew Birong, Bryce Lonca, and Everett Brooks—contributed at critical moments throughout the game.
“Bryce in the first half was huge with his fakes to the rim, and then Andrew down low with his rebounding,” Aukerman said. “Murphy hit some big shots, and they were focusing a lot on him, so he decided to be a distributor and find other guys. And Everett made some huge plays at the end.”
Alliance shares the EBC crown with Carrollton (13-5, 8-2) after defeating Marlington 74-48. Aukerman can trace a direct line from the last time the Warriors and the Aviators were co-champions in 2023 to this year.
“A lot of guys were watching two years ago when we did this, and they learned some things from the seniors who are here in the stands now,” he said. “And they just worked. They came to the gym, they love playing basketball together, they love being around each other. I can’t say enough about them.”
In addition to Tayvian Johnson’s 19 points, Birong scored 12, Jayven Johnson added 10, and Murphy and Lonca each had nine. Minerva (4-6 EBC) was led by Yerger’s 18 points. Shick finished with 17, and Hoffee added 12.
The Warriors did, in fact, play another game earlier in the week—a nonconference visit to Claymont on Feb. 4, in which Carrollton dominated from start to finish, winning 64-39.
In that game, Murphy led all scorers with 18 points, while Jayven Johnson added 12 points and seven rebounds. Birong recorded another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Lonca contributed 10. Tayvian Johnson led the Warriors with six assists while also scoring nine points.
Claymont (5-13) was led by Carson Golec, Jackson Jinks, and Brayson Grey, who scored seven points each.
The No. 6 Warriors are scheduled to host No. 7 Beaver Local in a sectional tournament game on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.