Golden Eagle Week in Review #6:

So Far:

The Golden Eagles (Ranked 1st in 5A by MaxPreps), led by coach Mike Domnick, have been on a complete and emphatic tear throughout the course of this season. After going down in the semifinal of last year’s state championship tournament, the Golden Eagles have been seeking to avenge this heartbreaking loss by being one of the best teams in the entire state of Kansas. It is now safe to say that they have been able to achieve this, considering the fact that they are now the team to beat in the 5A Division of the historically basketball-ruled state of Kansas. Through this, the Golden Eagles have been able to acquire a vast amount of traits that seemingly only the great teams possess. According to Carroll star guard and influential team leader Tanner Mans, the thing that has made him the most proud is the team’s ability to always play together, as well as always showing their toughness. When asked about what his favorite part of the season has been thus far, star forward Enrique Lankford stated, “It’s hard to pick out my favorite aspect of our run, mainly because we aren’t done yet, but if I were to pick a specific moment, winning the City League would have to be first on my list.”

This crop of Golden Eagles has proven to be extremely impressive throughout the season, with them seemingly not experiencing much adversity. But this could not be farther from the truth for Carroll senior standout guard Tanner Mans. Tanner suffered a serious concussion during the final round of the annual McPherson Tournament after a scary fall underneath the basket. When asked about the difficulties of not only the injury, but also his recovery he stated, “My concussion was probably one of the worst times of my life. I had to sit in a dark room with no communication to the outside world. It was rough. But I am definitely back to 100 percent now.”

The leading scorer for the Golden Eagles is junior forward Alex Littlejohn, who is ⅓ of the impressive Junior Trio of Alex Littlejohn, Enrique Lankford, and guard Carter Reid. When asked about what the biggest reason for his success has been, Littlejohn stated, “I think the main thing contributing to my success is my teammates, through them consistently getting me open looks and getting me the ball and letting me go to work and make plays.” When asked about what the biggest thing he learned from Coach Domnick this season, he stated, “I think that what I have learned from coach Dom is becoming a leader. He trusts in me, Tanner and Enrique to step up every game and (in) practice. For me it’s definitely being more vocal in practice and in games on offense and defense as well as always to lead by example by working hard, not just in games but also in practice, whether it’s making the big plays or doing the small things.”

With the regular season seemingly finally coming to an end, Coach Domnick has racked up another achievement for his resume, with the coach leading his Golden Eagles to the first City-League title in school history, clinched with a huge Tuesday night win against the holy war rival Kapaun Crusaders. When asked about what kind of impact Coach Dom has had on the team this season, Mans stated, “Coach Dom is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. He has given us the opportunities to show what we can really do.” Winning City-League has been a huge goal for this group ever since the beginning of the season and it will go down as one of the biggest accomplishments in BC sports history.

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VS. Northwest: Win, 55-39:

This was once again another dominant performance by the Golden Eagles. It was a big night for Carroll’s two star junior forwards, Alex Littlejohn and Enrique Lankford, who were the team’s leading scorers on the night, with Alex putting up a total of 15 and Enrique putting up a total of 12. Littlejohn was also extremely aggressive in the paint throughout the course of the night, resulting in him pulling down a total of 12 rebounds.

VS. West: Win, 62-33:

The Golden Eagles had yet another dominant performance against West last Friday with a nearly 30 point win. The leading scorer for the Golden Eagles was college recruit Tanner Mans, who was able to put up 18 points on 10 total shots. Senior Luke Larkin was the only other Golden Eagle to crack double digit scoring with 10 total points on 5 shots.

@ Crusaders: Win, 61-48:

The Golden Eagles looked especially impressive, resulting in the Golden Eagles having three players cracking the double digit scoring mark. Those three players would be senior Guard Brenyn St. Vrain with 10, Tanner with 12, and Lankford with a team-leading total of 16. This win gave the Golden Eagles their first ever City League title and also helped the Golden Eagles bump themselves up to 1st in the 5A rankings for the first time all season.

Going Forward:

The Golden Eagles are just one game out from the postseason and will continue to make noise throughout the entirety of the tournament. According to Forward Enrique Lankford, “I think that possibly playing teams we have not faced before will be the toughest part of the postseason.”

Quotes from the Golden Eagles:

Forward Enrique Lankford on what it means to win the school’s first city league championship:

“It means a lot to me. Winning it for the first time this year and having the opportunity to win another state championship in the same year is incredible. I want to and feel that we can do that.”

Tanner Mans on the biggest challenge from this past season:

“My biggest challenge other than the injury was all done before the season. I set some big goals and I accomplished them this season.”

Lankford on what he wants his team to accomplish his senior year:

“Into my senior season, I would like to prove that I am the best shooter in the state of Kansas and that Carroll is the best team in Kansas regardless of class.”

Littlejohn on what he does in the off season to prepare himself for the season:

“In the off season, I’m always working out, working on my game and when I have camps, learn what role I have to play when the season comes and work on my game to make adjustments for what the team needs me to do.”