| Joe Moynier prepares to take a shot during a home game earlier this year. Moynier lead the Dinos in scoring against Granite last week as he scored 32 points. |
The Carbon High Dino basketball team wrapped up the regular season this past weekend. The team competed in their final two games which put the Dinos in a do-or-die situation.
With an overall record of 6-12, the Dinos entered a non-region game against Granite last Wednesday night with one thought on their mind. To win the ball game. That is just what the team did as they dominated the court, thus leading to their 76-67 win over the Farmers.
The Dinos stepped up and played strong throughout the competition. In fact, by the half, the Dinos lead the Farmers, 41-37.
The momentum continued in favor of the Dinos as the team dominated the hardwood floor in the second half of competition.
When all was said and done, Dino senior, Joe Moynier, had scored an outstanding 32 points to lead the Carbon team in scoring. During this shooting frenzy, Moynier managed to sink six three-point field goals.
Also lending a hand in the Dinos non-region victory was Brandon Manzanares who finished the game with 12 points and Tyson Hackwell who had 10 points against the Granite team.
The win boosted the Dinos overall record to 7-12, but the team faced one more game before the season would officially draw to a close for the Carbon team.
The Dinos hosted the Delta Rabbits Saturday night in the final game of the season. With both teams struggling to gain control of the fourth and final seed in the Region 8 standings and a chance at the state tourney playoffs, emotions were running high as the athletes took to the court.
For the Dinos, the intense match up would prove to be successful as the team played strong and hung on to win the final match up of the season, 65-61.
Once again, Moynier lead the team in scoring as he completed the game with 18. Manzanares followed with 16 points while Neal Maynes completed the game with 14 points.
The Dinos overall record of 8-12 for the year brings the team to yet another crossroad. The team is now faced with the challenge of defeating Delta for the second straight time in a week.
Both teams are currently tied for the fourth place finish in the region. A playoff crossover game will take place Tuesday night in Spanish Fork. The winner of the highly contested game will then move on to compete against Wasatch on Friday as part of the 3A state final tournament.
“We played really well on defense this past week. In both games, the team really stepped up, especially in the second half and we ended up with the much needed victories. Now we just need to continue our efforts and hopefully move on to the state finals,” explained Carbon coach Ted Bianco.
The Dinos will compete in the crossover game and hopefully, this will not be the end of the road for the talented Carbon team.
With skill and a little bit of luck on their side, the team from Carbon High is sure to be a part of the state tournament this year.