With the season on the line, and just seconds remaining on the clock, the Dinos were able to pull off a come-from-behind, at-the-buzzer victory against the Wasps of Juab High School on Friday, earning themselves a spot in the 3A State Tournament. Senior Jamin Jensen put up the winning shot just before time expired, and Dino fans rushed the court for the 53-51 success.
“In the locker room, I said that he was the only one on our team, I think, that could get that shot to go down if it was going to go down,” said head coach Kyle Willson of Jensen’s game-winning layup.
Willson himself was overcome with emotion at the end of the game, falling to the floor once the Dinos had won. “Part of me wanted to cry, part of me was excited. It was just relief, I guess, was the main thing, relief. I knew my guys could do it, I believed in them and the coaching staff believed in them and I just needed them to believe in themselves.”
The Dinos had not made it easy on themselves heading into the fourth quarter. After leading 26-25 at halftime, Carbon hit a skid in the third period, only scoring four points, and falling behind 39-30.
“We kind of dug ourselves a hole,” said Willson of the Dinos’ lack of performance in the third quarter. “I knew they weren’t going to give up, I just kind of had to rally them together and get confidence in themselves to know that they could win.”
The difference in the fourth quarter was how the Dinos stepped up defensively. “We’ve been working on kind of a pressure-man defense all week and that’s when it came in to play,” said Willson.”
Also contributing to the win, the Dinos scored 23 points in the fourth quarter alone, with Jensen contributing 11, including going six-for-six from the free throw line in the quarter. Until the final shot of the game, the Dinos had not led since halftime, but Jensen tied the game at 51 points on two free throws, with just less than a minute remaining in the game.
Jensen scored a total of 19 points on the night, with three three-pointers, but was not the only senior to step-up. Senior Kyle Quinton also scored 19 points, while seniors Chase Morgan and Gage Daugherty each tallied five.
“They battled,” said Willson of his four seniors, who secured the victory on senior night, their last home game of the season, and as Dinos. “I’ve been riding those guys all year. It’s been I’m going to win or lose with those guys and tonight we were lucky enough to chip away in the fourth quarter… I knew they weren’t going to give up, I just kind of had to rally them together and get confidence in themselves to know that they could win.”
The Dinos finished the regular season in third place in Region 12 with a 4-4 league record, 11-11 overall. Carbon will travel to Tooele High School on Friday for the first round of the 3A State Tournament. The Buffaloes of Tooele also finished the regular season 4-4 in their league, Region 10, but finished 9-13 overall. Friday’s game is slated for 7 p.m.
“My guys did fantastic, it was all them,” said Willson. “I just kind of pointed them in the right direction and they pulled through.”
Did you miss the game-winning play? Check out the Sun Advocate’s video on Facebook of the winning shot and the crowd rushing the court!
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