CHS Girls claim win in physical Region 12 battle

By Sun Advocate

Lady Dinos’ 47-38 home win over North Sanpete keeps them near top of Region 12 standings with three games left
When Region 12 teams Carbon High and North Sanpete met on the hardwood on Thursday evening at the CHS Gymnasium, it was a tough, physical battle reminiscent of a football game or a prized boxing match.
Instead of bloody lips and black eyes, there were plenty of floor burns and bruises from rebounding battles to go around.
In the end, the Carbon High Girls used a strong second and third quarter led by their pressing defense to build up a lead that North Sanpete was unable to overcome in a 47-38 win for the Lady Dinos at home.
CHS Head Coach credited his team with adjusting to the type of game being played on the floor while not straying too far from what has helped them gain success this season.
“All season long, our girls have just had the ability to adjust to each opponent,” Bianco said. “Our girls didn’t back down. They kept attacking the whole game and they beat a good team in North Sanpete.”
CHS went into halftime with a 20-14 lead thanks in part to Jordan Scoggins hitting a 3-pointer just seconds before the buzzer went off.
Both North Sanpete and Carbon had to deal with foul trouble but North Sanpete’s offense was hurt by the departure of senior Jacey Dunn who picked up two fouls in the first half and was relegated to the bench.
Carbon continued to attack and was able to get a handful of steals leading to baskets on their end.
“We came out with a purpose,” Bianco said. “Once we relaxed after the first quarter, we finally got things going.”
Lindsey Blanc led Carbon with a team-high 15 points and 8 steals.
Bianco said his front court players including Jerika Morgan, Morgan Hillam, Beth Child and others may not have the flashy numbers in the box score after a game, but they make a difference in each game.
“The box score doesn’t tell how hard those players work down low for us,” he explained.
With the win, CHS is now 13-6 overall and 4-1 in Region 12.
Over the final three games, Carbon will play two on the road and one more at home. That final road to the 3A State Tournament starts on Tuesday, Feb. 3 when the team travels to play Richfield. A big game between Carbon and fellow Region 12 leader Juab that could determine the region championship will take place on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at the CHS Gymnasium.
While that game against Juab is in the future, Bianco said his team must focus on beating a tough Richfield squad that would love nothing more than to play the role of spoiler.
“We’ve got to take care of business on Tuesday night,” he said. “Richfield is a good team and it’s a hard place to play. We just need to execute offensively and match the physicality of the other team each night.”