It wasn’t a night when the Carbon Lady Dinos would brag about their shooting capabilities.
It was, however, a night when they could put their egos on the line about their defense, because there was one word for it.
Stiffling.
The girls from Carbon High showed the kids from Mount Pleasant what a hand in the face was all about as they crushed the Lady Hawks 60-33 in a Region 8 contest last Thursday night.
It was also the night for a new leading scorer to emerge from the trenches we all call the front line as Brittany Pollastro led the team in scoring with 16 points.
It’s hard for anyone to remember the last time someone with the last name of Warburton didn’t lead the team in that category for a game, but Pollastro, gunned the points in despite the fact the Lady Hawks efforts to stop her.
The final score belies the fact however, that the first half was close. It’s hard to tell whether that was the case because of the Hawk defense or the ineptness of the Lady Dino offense, but it was close.
At the end of an anemic first quarter the score was tied 10-10. No one on the Dino squad seemed to be able to find the basket. It was just one of those nights.
The second quarter brought a little encouragement as the Carbon girls outscored North Sanpete 11-6, but it wasn’t that the shooting got any better, it was that the girls from Sanpete County were more inept.
It was after that half when the roof fell in on the Lady Hawks. Actually if was more like the sky fell, to be truthful.
Carbon, not able to score, went into a full court press right from the get go of the second half and didn’t let up until the third quarter was over. They held the Lady Hawks to three points in the period, possibly a new record for a Lady Dino opponent in the Dinogym. More importantly though, the defense forced turnovers that led to many easy Carbon baskets, something they had not gained in the first two quarters of the game. Carbon scored 22 points, many on break away baskets either from steals or from Hawk players who shot from any and all angles just to keep a Carbon hand out of their face.
It was like someone turned the tap on and then off again. Proving what all knowledgable basketball analysts know, a great defense makes a great offense, the girls went back to their old ways in the fourth period and only outscored the worn out Hawks 17-14 in the quarter.
They really won the game in one quarter and if this doesn’t prove to everyone that this team is for real, nothing will. Few teams, particularly high school teams, can turn it off and on like that. The girls themselves also truly learned the value of defense like never before.
It was probably the worst shooting game Carbon has played this year, with the possible exception of the loss to Snow Canyon earlier this year.
It was also the best demonstration of what Carbon’s team defense can do to the opposing team.
The Lady Dinos are now 3-0 in league play and 13-2 overall. On Tuesday night the team travels to Lehi to face the Lady Pioneers and their surprising 2-0 record in Region 8 and 9-3 record overall.
In Utah County they may need that turned up defense once again.
Lady Dinos almost double up Hawks
