| Carbon’s Chase Julian defends a Delta player during a recent Region 8 home game. |
In the next week many young men at Carbon will begin to swing bats, kick around soccer balls and run around the blue track behind the school, because for the Dinos, basketball season has now ended.
With two losses last week, a 60-35 set back at North Sanpete and a defeat at the hands of Lehi on Friday night to the tune of 68-50, the Carbon boys finished the season with a record of 1-7 in Region 8, putting them out of the running for any chances at championship play.
However, even without the trip to state, the team had some highlight moments this season. The play the team demonstrated during much of the season showed that their record does not reflect the overall talent and ability on the team.
As one observer put it a couple of weeks ago at a game, “Carbon is only a 6’7″ center away from being a state contender.”
In the game against North Sanpete last week the boys got buried in the first quarter of the game and were never able to recover. The Hawks scored 14 points and held the Dinos to three in that first period.
Carbon came back in the second quarter out doing the Sanpete kids 8-7, and went into the locker room with high hopes of continuing the edge for the next two periods.
However, in the second half the Hawks had other ideas for a good time on their home floor and out scored the Carbon boys 39-24.
No one on Carbon’s team got into double figures in the game. The top scoring honors was shared by three players with six points, Schyler Nammany, Miles Hunsaker and Tyler Nelson. Chase Julian added five, Bryan Gazell put in four, Jeremey Barker contributed three, Cole Warburton and Parker Parsons scored two and Cameron Oliver put in one to complete the scoring for the Dinos.
In the final game of the season, on the Pioneers floor, Carbon did not have a bad quarter like they did against North Sanpete. In the first Lehi jumped out to a three point lead, 14-11 and increased it to nine at the half, 31-22.
In the second half the trend continued as the Pioneers out scored Carbon 18-12 in the third period and then 19-16 in the fourth.
This was a break out game for Oliver who scored 21 points. Other contributors included Tyler Nelson with 10 points, Chase Julian with seven, Nammany and Hunsaker with three each, and Gazell, Barker and Levi Branch with two a piece.
This years varsity team was a young one with only four seniors on it. The team will lose Oliver, Barker, Hunsaker and Nelson to graduation.
Carbon will also be playing in a very different Region 8 next year, as Lehi moves from the 3A classification to the 4A ranks next year and Granite High replaces them in the schedule. In addition Region 8 will become a six team league next year with the addition of Juan Diego High School, which is moving to 3A from the 2A ranks.