| Brandon Wilson pulls up for a jump shot in an earlier game. |
Another close game, another close loss. The Dinos are just a few minutes short of getting on the winning track. The final score of 59-53, Utes, doesn’t reflect how close the Dinos again came to winning the game. Carbon was right in the game until about a minute and 15 seconds left in the game. Trying to force the ball to Eric Buchmiller, they turned it over and then fouled the Ute shooter as he put in his shot. Three points the old fashion way and the game slipped away.
They were down by six at the end of the quarter. After the first the team settled down and played some good ball. The Utes were well prepared for the zone defense the Dinos started with. Carbon adjusted to a man D and they were able to slow down the Utes scoring. “This is the first time this season we were able to play a man defense for a sustained period of time,” Bianco observed. “Normally as soon as we switch to man, the opposition scores on us like a sieve.” In second quarter they made a run to pull within one. A third quarter let down put them back in the red by seven. The team had several good runs during the home stretch, but time and time again, it was the Utes that took control. Mental errors and turnovers continue to take the team out of the game at key moments. Even though Carbon pulled themselves back in the game in the fourth, they fell short in the end when it counted.
Buchmiller had the hot hand for the Dinos on Wednesday night with 12. Dustin Pollastro contributed 10 including a three. Brandon Wilson and Dayton Martindale added a pair of threes apiece. Some of the younger players on the squad are stepping up and making a difference. Last night Joey Keller, Buchmiller and Martindale made good use of their minutes on the floor to help out the team.
Bianco was both pleased and a bit disappointed in the outcome of the game. “Uintah is a good strong team with a winning record and we went toe-to-toe with them.” He remarked,”I think we are close to turning things around, but we are running out of time.”
The boys will head to Juan Diego on January 10th to begin region play. They come home on the 12th to take on Delta. Both teams are strong this season and will be tough games for the struggling Dinos. Game time on the Jan. 12 is at 7:00 p.m. at the Dino gym.