| Joey Keller pushes a shot through a taller opponent. Keller has been one of the leading scorers for Carbon High almost every game this season, he is an unquestioned team leader for the Dino squad. |
If a team has to go through a cold streak, pre-season play is the time to do it. Luckily for the Dinos all these games played recently won’t count anywhere but in their memory when region play begins in January.
Carbon lost three games by lopsided scores last week and need to go back and regroup over the holidays to find their way back to the win side of life. On Tuesday they were spanked by Springville 44-66. On Friday, Canyonview took a shot at them and beat them 31-61. To finish up the week they dropped their final game 37-57 to Cedar.
Tuesday the Dinos controlled the tip off. They failed to score and that was the turning point of the game. They were down by 13 at the end of the first and things went down hill after that. Joey Keller had 18 and Eric Buchmiller had nine. Everyone else was cold. When they could get a shot off they clanked it off the rim and into the waiting hands of Springville.
“We played a bigger, stronger, more physical team and we showed fear. We can’t do that against teams like this. We have to attack and protect the ball better,” Coach Bianco stated after a long post game chat with his team.
But Friday night Canyonview came right out after the Dinos and they were again down by six the end of the first. They let the lead grow each quarter and were never really in the game. Keller put up eight to lead the team and Tyler Bean contributed seven. Bean hit six of his by way of the 3 point shot.
Carbon was able to hit four threes on the night, but Canyonview was also hot from the outside and they had six from downtown.
On Saturday the Dinos stayed in contention through most of the first half. Though down, they kept within striking distance. At the break they were within six. The usually consistent Joey almost every time he set foot on the court.
He had to sit for long stretches of the first half. Still he ended up fouling out on a quick T thrown after a foul called on Canyonview. Bianco also picked up a T as he pleaded Keller’s case to the referee
That moment turned the tide on the entire game. After four technical foul shots by Canyonview, the Dinos were in a hole they couldn’t seem to climb out of.
By the end of the third they were behind by 13. They closed it out, down by an even 20.
Tysen Stevens carried the Dinos with 15 and Buchmiller added nine.
The only score from beyond the arc came from Bean. He had seven total.
The Dinos play Union at home this Wednesday with tip off at 7 p.m. in the Carbon High gym. They will travel north to Park City on Friday to battle the Miners in their final game before the Christmas break.