NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Carroll's men's basketball team saw their season end on Tuesday night, falling to North Central (IL) by a score of 58-54 in the quarterfinals of the CCIW Tournament. On a night where shots weren't falling for either team, there were nine lead changes and 13 ties in the low-scoring affair.
The Pioneers (14-12, 7-10 CCIW) shot just over 33 percent from the field for the game, under 18 percent from 3-point range, and just under 79 percent from the free throw line. Second Team All-Conference selections Kobe Simpson was the game's leading scorer, contributing a game-high 22 points, to go along with five rebounds. Junior Eckahelo Simpson also scored in double figures with an efficient 12 points on 5-9 shooting. Senior Tyler Miller added eight points, shooting 2-for-3 from 3-point range. Carroll grabbed 10 offensive rebounds, while forcing 13 North Central turnovers.
From the opening tipoff, it was evident that baskets were going to be hard to come by, with neither team scoring through the first three and a half minutes of the contest. Sophomore Jacob Naber scored the game's first points on a layup, while Kobe followed up with a bucket of his own, and Miller drained a three to give Carroll to an early 7-2 advantage. Both teams set the tone defensively, making each possession difficult for the opposition. Neither team shot over 34 percent from the field in the first half, and the two teams went into halftime tied at 21.
Both teams came out of halftime with seemingly a new-found offensive rhythm, as the Simpson brothers combined for 10 points in the first four minutes of the half, but North Central matched the Pioneers shot-for-shot. Both offenses went back-and-forth for the remainder of the game, as Kobe and Eckahelo combined to score 26 of the team's 33 second half points. Miller contributed five points, and Naber sank two late free throws to round out the scoring. Carroll's offense flowed into good looks that couldn't quite fall down the stretch as North Central escaped with a narrow victory to advance to the CCIW semifinals.
Carroll ends the 2023-24 season with a record of 14-12 (7-10 CCIW). The team that was picked to finish ninth in the CCIW in the preseason coaches poll exceeded all expectations, as they equaled the program's combined win total of the past two seasons and collected their most wins in a season since 2015-16, when the team was still part of the Midwest Conference. The Pioneers' seven CCIW victories are the most the team has had since 2019. The future is bright for Pioneer basketball as all but three key contributors return for the 2024-25 campaign.
