Third-quarter barrage lifts Carrollton boys to basketball win at Fairless

Not a bad way to start a season.

The Warriors kicked off the 2025-26 season with a visit to Fairless for some nonconference action, but it was the host Falcons who were grounded following a 76-48 thrashing by Carrollton.

The Warriors leaped out to a 28-19 lead in a high-scoring first quarter that saw Carrollton on pace to score more than 110 points. The second quarter was the polar opposite as the tempo slowed to a crawl and Fairless outpointed the Warriors 8-6 to get to within seven points.

Whatever adjustments Carrollton made during the break worked because the Warriors ran roughshod over the Falcons in the third quarter, outscoring Fairless 22-4 to take all the suspense out of this one.

Brother act Tayvian and Jayven Johnson led the way for Carrollton as Tayvian scored 17 points and Jayven added 16. Sophomore center Pryce Rodgers had a nice game with 10 points, while Isaac Husted scored all nine of his points from beyond the arc.

On the boards, the Warriors (1-0) were in control as they nearly doubled up the Falcons (0-1) 35-18 as Hunter Allison and Jayven Johnson each tallied eight rebounds.

Bowling

Carrollton bowled twice over the past week, first visiting the Federal League’s Jackson at Park Centre Lanes Nov. 21 before returning home to host Lake Center Christian Nov. 25 at Atwood Lanes.

The boys needed a few spectacular Baker games against the Polar Bears, but both teams came away victorious to remain unbeaten on the season.

First up was Jackson and for the Warriors, it was all about consistency as Carrollton’s five bowlers – Jace Eckinger (413), Noah Hutson (413), Colton Rummell (409), Khalen Green (406), and Caleb Jurkiewicz (403) – were all within 10 pins of one another.

Jackson, however, had some heavy hitters as Carter Rohr rolled a 279 en route to a 496 series. And as the smoke cleared, the Polar Bears had staked a 100-pin lead, 2,144-2,044.

That was, until the Warriors floored them in the three Baker games. Carrollton went wild, rolling 216 in the first game to slice 73 pins from Jackson’s lead. The Warriors then outpointed the Polar Bears 202-176 in the second to draw within one pin. And the third game, a 180-151 win, gave Carrollton a 2,642-2,616 come-from-behind victory.

Amazingly, the Lady Warriors’ win was nearly as dramatic. Following the two-game series, Carrollton led 1,670-1,651 as Ellie Shafer led all bowlers with a 380 series. Kaylee Russell and Jocelyn Burkhart contributed series of 348 and 343, respectively.

In the first Baker game, Jackson crawled to within 16 after a 139-136 win. The Lady Warriors kept their composure, however, and defeated the Polar Bears by 11 in the second game and eight in the third for a 2,155-2,120 win.

Four days later, Carrollton hosted the Tigers and this match was much calmer on the nerves as both teams won convincingly, the boys 2,415-2,099 and the girls by a score of 1,912-1,596.

Hutson was the main man for Carrollton (3-0) against Lake Center Christian as he posted games of 197 and 212 for a 409 series, while Green logged a 393 series.

For the Lady Warriors (3-0), Russell’s second game of her 386 series – a 240 – was the high score for boys and girls. Emma Brown only rolled one game, but it was a solid one at 205.

Girls basketball

How do you become a strong team? By being tested in the heat of battle.

The season is exceedingly young, but thus far, Carrollton’s mettle is being forged quite nicely. The Lady Warriors dropped their first game of the season at Tri-Valley Nov. 21, 51-44. The Scotties, who are a perennially tough out, went 21-4 last season.

Carrollton trailed 22-18 at the half, but fell behind by double digits in the third quarter. The Lady Warriors were scrappy in the fourth quarter but could not close the deficit.

Four days later, Carrollton stayed on the road for another non-conference contest, this time at Tusky Valley. This time, the Lady Warriors did what was needed to close out the win, earning a 57-55 victory. Kylie Ujcich was stellar as she scored 21 points, grabbed seven boards, and tallied five steals for Carrollton (1-1).