Ex-prep stars Johnson, Winkel combine for 70 points in epic double-OT battle

Ankeny’s Carson Johnson drives to the basket against Ankeny Centennial defender Luke Winkel during a game in the 2022-23 season, when they both were juniors in high school. The duo are now freshmen in college and playing against each other in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. (Photo by Drue Wolfe)

During their high school basketball careers, Carson Johnson and Luke Winkel waged some epic battles on the hardwood.

Now, the former prep stars from Ankeny have taken their rivalry to another level.

Johnson and Winkel collided on Saturday for the first time as collegians, and both players set a new career-high while combining for a whopping 70 points.

Johnson, who was an all-state guard at Ankeny, exploded for 42 points to lead MSU Moorhead to a 104-98 victory over visiting St. Cloud State in double overtime. It was the sixth-highest point tally in a single game in school history.

MSU Moorhead guard Carson Johnson drives around St. Cloud State defender Lucas Morgan during Saturday’s game at Moorhead. Johnson made 8-of-16 3-point attempts and exploded for a career-high 42 points to lead the Dragons to a 104-98 victory in double overtime. (Photo courtesy of Remi Niyonkuru/MSU Moorhead Athletics Communications)

The Dragons needed Johnson’s extraordinary output because Winkel was nearly as good for the Huskies. The former Ankeny Centennial all-state guard poured in 28 points, tied his career-high with eight assists, and also grabbed five rebounds.

The game was reminiscent of last year’s meeting at Ankeny, where Johnson erupted for 38 points–one more than Winkel–to lead the Hawks to a 76-63 triumph.

“I tried to not really focus on (our history) much going into it and more on the game itself, but it was a cool experience being able to play against (Winkel) on the college stage,” Johnson said.

Johnson went 8-of-16 from 3-point range, the second-best single-game total in program history. He made a pair of treys and scored his team’s first eight points in the second overtime, helping the Dragons to put the game away.

St. Cloud State guard Luke Winkel leads a fast break during a game against Wayne State on Jan. 4 at St. Cloud. Winkel has averaged 13.3 points per game while helping the Huskies to a 14-10 record. (Photo courtesy of Jason Soria/St. Cloud State Athletics Communications)

Winkel, meanwhile, went 10-of-20 from the field. He was 3-of-7 from behind the arc.

“We started off guarding each other, and the matchups were switched up a couple times throughout the game,” Johnson said.

Johnson, who missed the first 11 games of the season, has led MSU Moorhead to records of 9-7 in the conference and 14-8 overall. He is averaging a team-high 19.5 points on 40.3 percent shooting from deep (29-of-72).

“Overall, it has been a good transition from high school to college,” Johnson said. “There have been some learning moments and a lot that I’ve improved on already. There will still be more to learn from each game, but so far, it has been a great transition.”

Winkel has played in 23 games with eight starts for St. Cloud State, helping the Huskies to marks of 10-6 in the league and 14-10 overall. He is averaging 13.3 points and a team-high 3.7 assists.