(Des Moines, IA) — After finishing last season with a 10-13 record, the Carroll boys basketball team has turned many heads this winter, punching their ticket to the Iowa state tournament and drawing a first-round matchup with Pella this afternoon at 12:15 at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines. Coach Randy Bissen says the credit goes to the players who refused to settle:
The Tigers started off the season losing two of their first three games, however the team’s selfless approach to the sport has carried Carroll to one of the most impressive turnarounds in the state this season. Bissen has 10 seniors on his roster, a group he says has really stepped up in the right way this postseason:
The state berth didn’t come easy, as Carroll edged out a scrappy Sioux Center team in a back-and-forth substate final 58-55. The Tigers trailed in the third quarter and responded with a key rally followed by a defensive stop in the final moments of the game to punch their ticket. Senior post Lual Tharjiath, a 6-foot-6 presence with long arms, has given Carroll a shot-blocker and rebounder down low, while Jake Jorgensen and Landon Peterson have embraced defensive roles, taking on the other team’s best players night after night.
Standing in Carroll’s way is a Pella team that is no stranger to the tournament. Winning the 3A Championship in 2021, the Dutch are well-coached, and built around two dangerous scorers in Jack McGuire and Austin Schulte, who Bissen says can be offensive threats in many different ways:
Tip-off is at 12:15 P.M. at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, as the #5 Carroll Tigers face the #4 Pella Dutch in the 3A quarterfinals.
