| Joey Keller is sandwiched as he scores two in an earlier game. |
It has been a roller coaster ride for the Carbon Dino basketball team this season. Great games and ugly ones, good play and bad. But it was the end of the ride on Friday night against Juan Diego as the winner took the final play-off spot and the loser was just done. Carbon lost big, 51-71.
The boys found themselves down by six early in the contest and never made a run at the Soaring Eagles. The deficit grew to 10 at the half, 16 in the third and finally an even 20 at the end of the game.
There was just not much to say about the final game. Tyler Bean scored 16 for his final high school game. Erik Buchmiller also finished his prep career with 13.
Commenting on the season in general, Coach Ted Bianco summed it up by complimenting his squad. “These were good kids this year. We learned many things along the way and I admire their spirit and hard work.”
He was already looking forward to next season. “We have some talented kids returning for next year. If they work hard in the off season and spend some time in the gym I expect to see some great things coming up. I respect the group of seniors we had this year and wish them all well.”
Another good sign of things to come is the record compiled by the JV and the sophomore squads this season. The JV team went 15-2 while the sophs were 11-6. JV Coach Jeff Cisneros had nothing but praise for his kids and the hard work they did this season. Several of those on the JV team will make up the core of the varsity next season.
And while the season did not go as well as expected, the team gave the crowd something to cheer about in many of their games. For the seniors, it is a season of what might have been, for the rest it is what a Chicago Cubs fan says every season-Wait ’til next year!