Ian Williams (above) scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the first quarter. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
By Sean McBryan
Archbishop Carroll traveled nearly an hour and over 40 miles to face an Exeter team coming off a state championship appearance on its home court with a packed gymnasium, rowdy student section, and late tipoff.
“We’ve done a lot of traveling,” Carroll head coach Francis Bowe said of the early season. “I just wanted to challenge these guys with different locations, different environments, and see if they can handle those long drives and different things happening to our mental and our psyche.
“They’ve just been answering the bell.”
The young Patriots played composed, silenced the crowd, and ultimately defeated the Eagles 91-58 in the Friday night finale of the City of Basketball Love Winter Showcase in Reiffton.
Sophomore point guard Ian Williams scored 18 points in the opening quarter as Carroll built a 17-point lead it would never relinquish; Williams finished with a game-high 28 to lead the Patriots (4-0), a team composed of talented freshmen and sophomores that play like anything but.