Stars shine bright for No. 1 Carlsbad hoops

Guards Tony Duckett and Jake Hall lead the Lancers into the CIF postseason, look for second championship in 3 years

The Carlsbad High School boys basketball team is led by senior guard Tony Duckett, left, and Jake Hall (not pictured). The two lead the Lancers into the CIF San Diego Section tournament. Anya Keast photo

CARLSBAD — The Lancers’ boys basketball team has future stars in the making. 

Two players on the team have come into the spotlight senior guard Tony Duckett and junior guard Jake Hall led Carlsbad to a Freelance League title with a 10-0 record and an overall record of 26-2. The two stars also led the No. 1 seeded Lancers to a 104-64 first-round win over Cathedral Catholic on Saturday in the first round of the CIF San Diego Section Open Division tournament.

Carlsbad hosts La Jolla Country Day at 7 p.m. on Wednesday

The development of Duckett and Hall over the years has put the Lancers into the state spotlight, although it has come with a target. The Lancers have been one of the region’s top teams for the past three seasons and aim for a second CIF title in three years.

Heading into the final year of his prep career, the 6-foot-5 Duckett, who has not signed with a college program yet, was named second-team All-CIF in 2023 as one of the top players in San Diego County. This year’s All-CIF teams have not been announced. This season Duckett is second on the team in scoring at 18.1 points per game, first in free throw percentage (87), second in steals (1.4) and third in rebounds (3.8). 

“It’s an honor. There's been a lot of great players named All-CIF,” Duckett said. “I am just happy that my talent gets noticed by people and I am going to keep working every day to get better.”