When the Archbishop Carroll varsity boys basketball team is in trouble, there is a number head coach Francis Bowe knows he can call: two.
Number 2 is sophomore, guard and captain Ian Williams. Williams led the Pats with 28 points in an electric 91-58 win over last year’s 5A state championship runner-ups in Exeter Township High School in the City of Basketball Love Tournament, while also tallying 18 of the Pats’ 26 first-quarter points.
“It’s relaxing, you know, having my guys trust me,” said Williams. “Just having that comfortability to make mistakes while also being able to go. They believe in me, so just having that comfort with my teammates really gives me the boost to take over when I need to.”
As Carroll now moves to 4-0 on the season, Williams continues to be the one constant in the Patriot offense. It seems no matter if his team is struggling to get shots up or can’t miss from the floor, he is there with the pick-me-up and ready to back up a shot or make a play if need be.
In the game’s first two minutes, the Pats got into an early hole, falling behind 4-0. To that early point in the contest, the Carroll offense was revolving around a quick-paced game focused on chucking up the three-ball. However, just minutes into the game, the young Williams recognized that the Pats’ first four shots (all from three-point range) were not falling, and he took over.
On the next play, Williams took possession at the top of the key and ran the lane for an and-one layup, making it 4-3 Exeter.
It wasn’t long before Exeter was forced to call their first timeout, down 16-6 as Williams racked up a quick 10 points.
“There’s a reason he’s my only captain,” said Bowe. “He’s always doing the right thing, every time, every practice, every day. It was really nice for him to be able to show off and have a night like this.”
After Williams took over following a scrappy first couple of minutes, the Pats were seemingly without flaws for the remainder of the night, constantly building their lead and stopping any Exeter momentum at its foreground.
It was in the second quarter, however, when the Pats really put the pedal to the medal, scoring a game-high 27 points. All the while Williams looked poised on offense, first getting himself a few more huge highlight reel buckets while also finding a couple of his teammates for some big scores.
Freshman guard Darrell Davis, along with sophomore guard Nasir Ralls, were some of Williams’ favorite assist targets in the second quarter. Davis racked up 11 points while Ralls followed close behind with six.
“Ian is easily one of the best point Guards in the PCL,” said Ralls following the win. “It’s just easy playing with him because you know he’s going to find you, he’s going to score, and he plays so unselfishly.”
Throughout the second half, it continued to be all Carroll. Williams took a step back in the scoring column but continued to find open teammates for some nice buckets down the lane along with a beautiful alley-oop dunk to freshman forward Munir Greig.
In the fourth quarter, the threes continued to fly as Williams picked up his final points of the night. The guard soon left the game to a chorus of cheers with around four minutes to go as Bowe emptied his bench with a 40-point lead.
Coming into the night, the Pats’ contest with Exeter was the most hyped-up event of the CoBL tournament, as one of the Catholic League’s best would take on the defending District 3 champions and 5A state championship runner-ups.
Nonetheless, the Pats surpassed their first big challenge of the season with little issue. After rolling over three quality opponents in their first four games along with a nail-biter win against Washington D.C’s best in Dunbar High School, Carroll is sitting pretty as the Catholic League season sits not a month away.
“Going into an environment like this and playing a great team like this is a challenge,” said Bowe. “We just have to keep building off it. Tomorrow will be a nice off day. But this is huge, everything is in the right direction, and I feel like we’ve just been building better every day.”
With the win, Carroll moves to 4-0 on the year as they return home Monday night to take on George Washington Carver High School for a 6 p.m. tip-off in the East Gym.