Riley Johnson and Brinley Carlson put on a show early for the Roland-Story girls basketball team during its 70-31 victory over Nevada on Jan. 20 at Nevada.
Johnson scored seven of her team’s first nine points and Carlson got hot in the second quarter by hitting three 3-pointers. She added two more baskets from behind the arc in the third quarter as part of a 27-3 run to ice the game.
The duo has played a crucial part in Roland-Story’s 10-3 start to the season.
Despite losing five seniors from last year’s 22-2 team that won the Heart of Iowa Conference and finished one victory shy of reaching the state tournament, Roland-Story has positioned itself to make another deep run. The Norse improved to 10-3 with the win over Nevada, and they are second in the HOIC behind Class 3A No. 7 Prairie City-Monroe.
Johnson has played a massive role in Roland-Story remaining one of the best teams in 3A and the HOIC.
She emerged as a top point guard in the conference last season after averaging 10.5 points, 4.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals. She has raised the bar in a big way this season.
“Riley’s been able to do it all,” said Roland-Story coach Craig Chapman. “She’s been huge for us.”
Johnson went into the Nevada game averaging 17.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 4.7 assists.
She entered the game shooting 40% from the field, 32% from 3-point range and 68% from the line. Her 17 3-pointers are just two fewer than she made all of last season.
“She’s doing a great job,” Carlson said. “We definitely needed her leadership at point guard. We used to have two in the past, but we’ve really relied on her.”
Johnson admits that it has been challenging at times to run the offense while also functioning as the team’s top scorer and defender.
“It’s harder stepping into a bigger role when you played a smaller one last year,” Johnson said. “Brinley and all the seniors have been really helpful, helping me step up into that leadership position.”
But so far, she has exceeded expectations in her expanded role.
“It’s been fun to coach Riley and see her flourish,” Chapman said. “She’s really stepped up her shooting this year and she’s opened up opportunities for other girls to get buckets as well.”
Defense remains Johnson’s specialty. She is tied for the second-most steals per game in 3A.
Her ability to drive opposing offenses crazy stems from a competitive family environment. Her older sister Reece was part of multiple state tournament teams for Roland-Story in the early 2020s and her brother Hesston was a runner-up at the state wrestling tournament in 2024.
“We always grew up in a very competitive environment,” Johnson said. “I’ve always been really aggressive and competitive growing up. That comes naturally on defense.”
Johnson’s younger sister Ali also plays for Roland-Story. Ali is a freshman who scored 11 points against Nevada, and she entered the game averaging 3.8 points.
“We’ve never played together, so it’s really new stepping into this year,” Johnson said. “It’s so much fun having a sibling to play with. Finding our connection on the court has been really cool.”
Johnson also enjoys playing with Carlson, who complements the Norse point guard’s game very well with her ability to drain shots from the outside.
“It’s so easy to trust Brinley,” Johnson said. “Being able to rely on someone else is really nice.”
Carlson is one of five seniors on the roster for Roland-Story this year. A standout golfer, she has competed in the 2A state golf meet all three years of her varsity career.
But while golf is her primary sport, Carlson has found plenty of time to work on her basketball game.
“My mom (Michaela Carlson) will rebound for me,” Carlson said. “It’s a lot easier to get more shots up.”
Carlson averaged 1.4 points with five 3-pointers made as a sophomore. She took a big jump as a junior, averaging 6.1 points with 41 3-pointers.
This year, she is doing even better. Carlson went into the Nevada game averaging 8.7 points with 23 makes from downtown.
“Brinley came off the bench last year and probably didn’t get as many minutes as she would’ve liked,” Chapman said. “Now she’s really stepped into a bigger role, and she has really taken it in stride. She’s been huge for us on both sides of the ball.”
Carlson said the reason for her growth as a player is simple.
“It’s taken a lot of confidence to get to where I am,” Carlson said. “It’s all the shooting that were doing outside of the season. We don’t always shoot as a team, but you see other people in the gym, so you know that everyone’s doing their part.”
If Johnson and Carlson can keep growing as individuals and continue to feed off each other, as they did in the win over Nevada, Roland-Story will be a tough out when the playoffs roll around. Johnson said she is looking forward to what lies ahead for the rest of the season.
“I think we really just have got to focus on the next game ahead,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to be able to win those to win the next one.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Riley Johnson, Brinley Carlson help Roland-Story girls basketball excel
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
