Featured photo by Douglas Blow
Minden put up a good fight, but No. 3 seed Carroll pulled away in the second half for a 64-48 victory in a non-select Division II second-round game Tuesday night in Monroe.
Minden, the No. 14 seed, closed its first season under Head Coach Jacob Brown 15-9. It’s the Tide’s first winning season since 2016 when they went 15-13.
That was also the last time Minden made the playoffs. The Tide’s first-round victory over Leesville was their first playoff win since 2011.
Carroll (26-8) will host Bossier Friday in the quarterfinals in a rematch of last season’s title game.
Tuesday night Minden hung with Carroll early. The score was tied at 13 late in the first quarter but the Bulldogs hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 19-13 lead at the end of the period.
The game was a defensive battle early. Battles for rebounds were fierce on both ends of the floor with Minden winning its share.
The Tide only scored six in the second quarter but they limited the Bulldogs to eight and trailed 27-19 at the half.
Minden came out strong in the third quarter, scoring the first five points to get within 27-24.
But Carroll scored six straight to go up by nine.
The Bulldogs then got hot from 3-point range. They also used their quickness on defense to create turnovers that led to some easy layups.
Meanwhile, Minden had trouble making shots from close range. Almost all were contested by Carroll’s big post players.
The Bulldogs eventually stretched the lead to 20.
Maurice Rabb and Cameron Parker led Minden with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Carmelo Smith added eight and Darnell Morris seven.
Lavion Owens led Carroll with 17 points. Treylan Neal added 13.