The roar of basketball season is back in Carterville. The Carterville Lions boys basketball team is ready to take the court for the 2025-2026 season with teamwork and plenty of energy. After a year that showed a bunch of growth, the Lions are focused on reaching new goals this winter.
This year, the Lions return with their strong plates, while there are some underclassmen stepping up and new faces joining the varsity roster. Head Coach Shane Hawkins said, “We will be a really young team, with only two seniors, Amareon Adams and Colton Hawkins. We do have two starters returning from last season, Hawkins and junior Maddox Gulley. It may take us a while to come together as a team and a lot of that will depend on the development and improvement of our juniors and sophomores. Our schedule will be tough, so we will be looking for steady improvement early in the season over how many wins we can get.”
Last year in the 2024-2025 season, they went 18-13, and in conference they went 4-4. This put them at third in their conference, 48 in their state division, and 199 in the state overall. They also ended the regular season with a seven game winning streak.
Although they lost some of their key players this year, there are a few of them returning. Senior Colton Hawkins is one of the team’s leaders. Colton is able to bring the ball up the court, set up plays, drive to the basket, and shoot. He was also selected to the third team of 2A IBCA All State Basketball.
Hawkins said, “We are looking forward to getting the season started. Our focus is coming to work everyday to improve as individuals and as a team.”
Junior Maddox Gully will also be returning as a playmaker and ball-handler. Gully said, “As a team, we’re looking to win our regional, since we’ve lost im the championship twice in a row now. I am preparing for more responsibility than last year all around.”
The Lions will open their season on November 29 at the Trico tournament. As the bleachers fill and the band plays, the Lions will once again remind everyone what Carterville pride looks like. Win or lose, one thing is for sure the Carterville boys basketball team will fight for every point, every game, and every fan in the stands.
Grab your blue and orange and get ready to cheer, because it’s going to be a great season for the Carterville Lions.
