Ankeny boys’ basketball standout Carson Johnson has been playing at a high level this season.
On Tuesday at Waukee Northwest, the senior point guard took his game into the stratosphere.
Johnson made 8-of-9 shots from 3-point range and poured in a career-high 40 points to lead the Hawks to an 84-76 victory in a CIML Conference game.
“He literally went off,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “They left him open in a lot of situations, and against the box-and-one (defense) he just started driving. He really took over.”
Johnson scored the second-most points in a game since Carlson took over the program in 2016. Only Braxton Bayless has scored more–he had 41 in a win over Iowa City West in the Class 4A quarterfinals in 2020.
Johnson is now averaging 25.7 points per game, which leads Class 4A.
“There have been nights where I felt like and I feel like I am capable of doing that on any given night,” said Johnson, who also dished out six assists. “There is a lot of hard work that goes into being able to have these kind of nights for me, but it was really fun to see the hard work paying off. My teammates also did a really good job of getting me open and continuing to find me. They were getting me the ball in good positions to set me up for those shots.”
Ankeny held a 38-35 lead at halftime. The Hawks then extended the margin to 57-47 after three quarters.
The two teams combined for 56 points in the final period.
“Both offenses played really well,” Carlson said. “It was just a good, tough game. Northwest is very skilled and talented, so we feel very fortunate to win.”
Grant Tigges led Northwest with 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He also had six assists and three steals.
But the Wolves had no answers for Ankeny’s hot shooting. The Hawks connected on 71.1 percent of their shots (27-of-38), including 72.7 percent of their tries from behind the arc (16-of-22).
“It was nuts,” Carlson said. “I still can’t believe it, but we shot incredibly well.”
Rio Aguirre made four treys and had 14 points. Lio Aguirre nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
It was the fifth straight win for Ankeny, which improved to 3-1 in the conference and 5-1 overall. Northwest’s records dropped to 1-4 and 2-4.
“The CIML is a very good league, and we know that every night we are playing a good team,” Johnson said. “Any win, especially on the road, is a good team win–and they feel amazing to get under our belt. Tough road wins along with continuing to get closer as a team gives us confidence to know that we can compete with anyone we play.”
Ankeny will travel to Dowling Catholic on Friday for another conference game on the road. The Maroons are 2-3 in the league and 3-3 overall after rallying from a 12-point halftime deficit to beat Southeast Polk, 54-49, on Tuesday.
