Carthage College Athletics

KENOSHA, Wis. — The Carthage College men's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season in impressive fashion on Saturday afternoon, defeating Thiel College, 85-56, at Tarble Arena. The Firebirds used a strong first-half performance to build a 23-point halftime advantage before maintaining control throughout the second half to secure the season-opening victory.

• Final Score: Carthage 85 - Thiel 56
• Location: Kenosha, Wis. - Tarble Arena
• Records: Carthage 1-0, Thiel 0-2

The Firebirds took control midway through the first half after overcoming an early deficit. Cathey sparked the team with a pair of three-pointers and a layup, while Braylen Meredith gave Carthage its first lead with a jumper. Chris Schlesinger and Ryan Johnson added points at the free-throw line before Meredith scored inside to help extend the advantage.

Tre Blissett provided a spark with a second-chance basket before finishing a dunk in transition and converting the free throw. He added another layup as Carthage continued to build its lead, while Sam Ritchie connected from beyond the arc to make it 28-16. The Firebirds maintained their offensive momentum with dunks from Meredith and Schlesinger, followed by a steal and layup from Bunkosky. Johnson and Nathan Bunkosky continued to contribute inside, and Bunkosky knocked down a three-pointer in the closing minute to help Carthage take a 47-24 lead into halftime.

Carthage carried that momentum into the second half as Blissett opened with a layup before Cathey and Schlesinger added baskets. Blissett then converted three consecutive free throws to keep the Firebirds comfortably in front. Meredith continued to attack the basket, adding a layup and two dunks, while Sheridan converted a pair of free throws. Blue capped the stretch with a three-pointer to extend the Carthage lead to 66-32.

Max Sheridan helped the Firebirds maintain control down the stretch, scoring on a layup before connecting on back-to-back three-pointers to push the advantage to 77-38. Meredith added two free throws, and Blue connected on another three-pointer as Carthage continued to answer Thiel's scoring efforts. Andy Nash added a second-chance basket in the closing minutes, while Hayden Hodgson converted a free throw to close out the 85-56 victory.

• Braylen Meredith led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, adding seven rebounds, one assist and one steal.
• Ryan Johnson recorded a double-double with eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds, including four offensive boards. He also added one assist and one blocked shot.
• Tre Blissett finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two steals, and one assist while shooting 4-of-8 from the field.
• KJ Cathey recorded 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 from three-point range.
• Max Sheridan contributed 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, in 11 minutes of action.
• Nathan Bunkosky added nine points, five rebounds, four assists and a game-high four steals.
• Chris Schlesinger finished with five points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
• Braylen Blue recorded six points, two rebounds, one assist and two blocked shots.
• Carthage recorded 16 assists on 28 made field goals and finished with nine steals and five blocked shots.
• Carthage finished the afternoon shooting 28-of-67 (41.8%) from the field and 8-of-30 (26.7%) from three-point range. The Firebirds also held a commanding 47-38 advantage on the boards and forced 21 turnovers, converting those opportunities into 18 points. Carthage added 24 fast-break points and received 47 points from its bench.

• Carthage heads to Lake Forest for the first road contest of the season on Wednesday, November 11 at 7 p.m.