Iola High School has a new career scoring leader after senior guard Cortland Carson broke the 44-year-old record with his 18-point performance Friday against Chanute.
Carson surpassed Class of 1981 graduate Shawn Williams’ 947 point career scoring record in the opening half of Friday’s game.
“It’s a good feeling. What it makes me think of is all of my teammates trusting me to be able to shoot,” Carson said. “Being able to give me the ball, and sacrificing their shots for me. It’s definitely hard work paid off. I knew I was a couple of points away from it going into the game. I just tried not to focus on it.”
Iola coach Luke Bycroft said Carson’s impact began his freshman year. Seeing his effort in practice and offseason workouts, Carson earned a spot on the varsity squad, and has been integral part of each subsequent team.
Breaking the record this season increased in difficulty with his well-earned reputation drawing double-teams from opposing defenses.
“It’s an adversity, but it’s just trying to get through the hard times like [Thursday] night’s game. Being able to push through and focus on the next game — what I can do to get better. And forget about the bad times, and focus on the next time,” Carson said.
Although proud to have his name written atop a banner of Iola’s all-time scoring leaders, Carson said the milestone is not entirely his own. He credited his teammates, coaches and family for their unique roles in making his accomplishment possible.
“My dad always worked with me in the offseason. He let me in the gym, and my grandpa coached basketball for 40 years. He was an assistant coach at Pitt State, and coached a lot of high school, and Coach Bycroft too. And my friends and family who supported me,” Carson said.
With four games left on the schedule, and potentially a few postseason games, Carson has time to add to his record. Coach Bycroft believes Carson’s record will inspire future Mustangs.
“We tell those guys, ‘This is something you should aspire to do,’” Bycroft said. “‘You want your name to be on that board. You want to be a part of a team like that.’ What would happen if we had two guys that could put in that effort?
“We challenge the younger guys. You have to start now. You don’t do this when you become a senior. You have to see it now, and work for it now, if you want to accomplish something great.”
