Is it safe to say this is hammer time? It may be a bit of a stretch, but the lesson being stressed to Burlington Central’s Ryan Carpenter these days is probably something the appropriately named junior point guard can build upon. Coach Brett Porto, of course, is the architect. “I was up on varsi ty as a freshman and came off the bench to give some support to the starters,” Carpenter said. “My goal was to give a spark off the bench. And last year, I was the sixth man.” This season? The 5-foot-11 Carpenter is making progress starting at the point for the Rockets. Burlington Central's Ryan Carpenter (4) move the ball up the court against Crystal Lake Central during a Fox Valley Conference game in Burlington on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Mark Black / The Beacon-News) Carpenter scored a game-high 16 points Wednesday night with three assists, three steals and two rebounds in just three quarters of play as Burlington Central trounced Crystal Lake Central 78-51. Patrick Magan, a 6-6 junior forward, added 15 points and 6-2 junior guard Bennek Braden followed with 10 for the Rockets (4-2, 2-1) in the Fox Valley Conference rout. Logan Laudadio, a 5-11 junior guard, and Aidan Watson, a 6-3 senior forward, both came off the bench and scored nine points apiece to lead Crystal Lake Central (3-2, 1-2). Carpenter doesn’t play AAU basketball but it doesn’t show. Burlington Central's Ryan Carpenter (4) rebounds the ball against Crystal Lake Central during a Fox Valley Conference game in Burlington on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Mark Black / The Beacon-News) “I’ve been really on him to be more aggressive offensively,” Porto said. “All good high school teams have strong performances from their point guards and two guards, and I was very pleased to see him be aggressive and look for his offense first. “Do that and that’s when you start distributing the ball better.” Carpenter came into the game averaging 5.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists. “Coach has pretty much told me to be aggressive and keep going downhill,” Carpenter said. Burlington Central's Patrick Magan (0) puts up for a shot against Crystal Lake Central's Bud Shanahan (4) during a Fox Valley Conference game in Burlington on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Mark Black / The Beacon-News) Magan, who’s averaging a team-best 17.4 points, added six rebounds, four assists and three steals and could almost be termed a point forward for the Rockets in their up-tempo style of play. “I’m trying to do as much as I can for the team,” Magan said. “If I hit some threes, I know they’re gonna be tightly on me. I can find my teammates and if I get downhill, I know Ryan and I play off each other well so I can find him, like I did on the three he hit in the third quarter.” Magan pointed out that the win was a nice bounce-back effort after the previous game, a 53-47 Fox Valley Conference loss to McHenry. “We talked about it with Ryan afterward,” Magan said. “We said if he’d be more aggressive, we’d be more successful. He came out and was really aggressive, creating shots for himself and everyone else. “I think we’re really close as a team. After that tough loss, we had a tough practice and then dominated here at the end.” Burlington Central’s starting lineup also included 6-2 junior guard Cash Cumpata and 6-6 freshman forward Declan Wilson. The four juniors all gained varsity experience as freshmen. Burlington Central's Ryan Carpenter (4) drives around Crystal Lake Central's Bud Shanahan (4) during a Fox Valley Conference game in Burlington on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Mark Black / The Beacon-News) Stefan Meseldzija, a 6-4 senior forward who could be starting or the team’s sixth man, has been sideline with a foot injury sustained before the season began that will likely keep him out until Christmastime. “He’s our most athletic guy,” Porto said of Mesledzija. “Hopefully, that will build on something, something we can turn into a positive. “We’ve come a long way in a couple weeks and improved a lot at both ends of the court. We still have a long way to go and inexperience in spots. It’s nice to see them learn as we go here.” Playing an up-tempo style is a bonus, according to Carpenter. “It’s fun because we just get out and play fast, play defense and rebound,” he said. “Get the board and we go on offense.” Magan, however, doesn’t want to look too far ahead. “The future is good,” Magan said. “But I think we’re a really good team this year.” ...read more read less