The Class C Westfield boys basketball team was playing its season opener at the Olean Tip-Off Tournament. It was early December. Their first-round opponent was Class AA Jamestown, which returned several key players from the team that advanced to the Section VI championship game nine months earlier.
It was clear that Wolverines junior guard Carson Swanson was up to the challenge.
He scored 18 points in the second quarter alone and finished the game with 33 points.
“It was a really great streak,” Westfield coach Nolan Swanson said of his son's performance. “It was the first game of the year. (I was thinking), 'What do we have here?'
Two words come to mind right now: “something special.”
Westfield's Carson Swanson led Section VI in assists this season with 6.9 per game. PJ file photo
Gigi
Carson is a three-sport athlete at Westfield, with his fall and spring calendars filled with soccer and golf, but his greatest passion is hoops. That was reflected in the numbers that led the Wolverines to a 20-3 record and a berth in the sectional final, where they lost 54-48 to defending state champion Randolph at Jamestown Community College.
In 22 games (he missed one game due to illness), Carson led the section in points per game (28.7), assists per game (6.9) and steals per game (5.5). For reference, he averaged 5.7 rebounds.
“This year has been really exceptional,” Nolan Swanson said. “He had an unwavering attitude about himself. He's very balanced and very tough. He faced a lot of strange defenses and triple teams and was often fouled. But he never lost his cool. As a coach, I'm very proud of him being able to move on to the next play. He's like a 16-year-old professional.”
The 6-foot-2 Carson scored 30 or more points nine times and set a school record with 46 points against Maple Grove in mid-February. However, one of his most memorable performances came in Westfield's postseason loss to Randolph. The Wolverines trailed by 12 points midway through the fourth quarter, but Carson made three 3-pointers in the closing stages to tie the game with 90 seconds left.
“He just encouraged them to come in,” Nolan Swanson said. “He has the verticality, he can get over people, he can get to the rim. The shot he took to tie the game was one of the greatest in school history.”
The Cardinals ultimately won, thanks to an eye-popping 29-point performance from Drew Hinds, another talented junior guard, advancing to the Far West Division and ending Westfield's season.
Gigi
Carson finished his junior campaign less than a month ago, but for those who love basketball, basketball never really ends. So earlier this week, the Swanson family hopped in the car and headed to Park School in Buffalo, where Carson joined the Buffalo Titans travel team.
“I go because it’s open at night and I can use the gym,” Nolan said.
His father and coach didn't mince words when it came to the success Carson enjoyed this season.
“That kid worked for it, that's just a fact,” Coach Nolan said. “All of my offseason work with the lifting and travel teams has culminated in preparation for this season.”
That's why Carson Swanson was named the Post Journal/Observer Player of the Year.
