The Ballard men's basketball team continued its strong season with a pair of convincing victories, defeating Carroll at home in Raccoon River Conference action on Friday night before earning a statement win over Sioux City East on Saturday at the Heritage Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Friday: Ballard 58, Carroll 41 (RRC)
Playing in front of the home crowd in the Hangar, Ballard controlled the tempo from the opening quarter and pulled away for a 58–41 conference win over Carroll.

Ballard held a 19–15 lead after one quarter and used a dominant second period, outscoring Carroll 13–4, to take a 32–19 advantage into halftime. The Bombers continued to build separation in the third quarter with an 18–12 edge before closing out the win in the fourth.

Junior Parker Miller led all scorers with 15 points, knocking down all six of his free throw attempts while adding six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Senior Jude Gibson added 14 points and six rebounds, while junior Evan Abbott chipped in 10 points. Defensively, Ballard recorded eight blocks and forced key turnovers to keep Carroll from mounting a comeback.

The win pushed Ballard to 16–1 overall and 13–1 in conference play.

Saturday: Ballard 68, Sioux City East 42 (Heritage Classic)
Less than 24 hours later, the Bombers delivered another complete performance, defeating Sioux City East 68–42 at the Sanford Pentagon as part of the Heritage Classic.

Ballard set the tone early, holding East to just six points in the opening quarter while building a 14–6 lead. The Bombers steadily extended the margin each quarter, taking a 31–17 halftime lead before breaking the game open with a 21-point third quarter.

Senior Jude Gibson turned in a standout performance, scoring a game-high 21 points on efficient shooting while adding seven rebounds, four assists, and five steals. Junior Evan Abbott led the Bombers in scoring aggression, finishing with 18 points and four assists. Parker Miller added 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Ballard shot nearly 49 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range.

With the weekend sweep, Ballard improves to 17–1 overall and remains 13–1 in conference play.

Up Next
The Bombers return home on Tuesday, February 10, to host Des Moines Hoover in a non-conference matchup with a 7:30 PM tipoff.

Photo Credit: Davidson Photography