Sandburg men put league-best 4 on All-Arrowhead team

GALESBURG — The Sandburg men's basketball team had a league-high four players voted to the 2026 All-Arrowhead Conference team. 

Sophomore Keauntrey Barnes and freshman Rylan Carton were first-team selections for the Chargers, while sophomores Matt Bockman and Ralph Wires were voted by conference coaches to the second team.

The quartet started all six conference games for the Chargers, helping Sandburg finish with a 4-2 mark in the Arrowhead and a 22-10 overall record this season. 

A 6-foot-6 forward, Barnes led Sandburg in scoring (16.5 points per game), field goal percentage (53 percent), 3-pointers made (15), 3-point percentage (44 percent), free throws made (18), free-throw percentage (82 percent), rebounding (8.3 per game) and blocked shots (six) against conference opponents. The transfer from Kirkwood had a pair of 20-point games in league play, including a 25-point effort Jan. 22 at Black Hawk.

A 6-6 forward from Sherrard High School, Carton was second to Barnes in scoring in Arrowhead games, averaging 16.2 points. Carton's 35 field goals led the team, as did his 1.2 steals per contest. He shot 52 percent from the floor, 36 percent from 3-point range and 78 percent from the line in conference action. Carton reached double figures in five of six Arrowhead games, highlighted by 23 points at Black Hawk.

Bockman, a 6-2 guard from Decorah, Iowa, offered a reliable presence in the Chargers' lineup as he averaged 13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 49 percent shooting in the conference. He matched his career high with 16 points in a Sophomore Night win Feb. 17 over Black Hawk.

Wires, a 5-10 point guard from Quincy, led Sandburg with 6.2 assists per contest in Arrowhead action. He also averaged 7.5 points and a steal per game in the conference. Wires dished out 10 assists and collected two steals in the Chargers' 73-56 win Feb. 3 at home over eventual conference champion Kishwaukee. 

2026 ALL-ARROWHEAD CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM
First team
Player of the Year — Ramsey Bethel (Kishwaukee)
Keauntrey Barnes (Sandburg)
Kendall Webb (Black Hawk)
Rylan Carton (Sandburg)
Siraaj Ali (Black Hawk)
Second team
Zaheem Jackson (Kishwaukee)
Ben Larry (Kishwaukee)
Ameer Anderson (Illinois Valley)
Dion Doyle (Black Hawk)
Matt Bockman (Sandburg)
Ralph Wires (Sandburg)

Coach of the Year
Michael Poindexter Jr. (Kishwaukee)

Get text/email notifications of Sandburg Athletics results
Follow @SandburgNJCAA on Twitter
Like @sandburgchargers on Facebook
Follow @sandburgchargers on Instagram