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Deja Vu? Last minute comeback propels CHS Girls to 3A Quarters

By Sun Advocate

Third year in a row CHS Girls have close call in 3A First Round game with 50-48 win over Pineview at home
When the playoffs come around each February, anything and everything can happen.
For the Carbon High Girls Basketball team it seems to be the time of the year they walk the tight rope over a deep canyon and some how, some way, they keep their balance and make it safely to the other side.
Down 48-40 to Pineview with three minutes left, CHS saved their best play for last using a full court press that forced turnovers leading to a frenzied 10-0 run helping the Lady Dinos advance to the 3A Quarterfinals with a 50-48 win on Saturday evening at home.
“It was another game for us in the playoffs that went right down to the wire,”CHS Head Coach Ted Bianco said after the game as players celebrated the victory with their fellow students and fans on the court.
Key baskets down the stretch including a key basket and foul that Carbon’s Morgan Hillam converted cut the deficit to 48-47. Teammate Lindsey Blanc, who played a key role in Carbon’s pressing defense, hit two free throws to give Carbon their first lead in the second half.
“We did a good job of just hanging in there at the end,” Bianco said. “The girls really stepped things up on defense and got some key turnovers.”
Carbon continued to press after a made basket forcing another Pineview turnover just moments later. Carbon began to milk the clock forcing Pineview to foul sending CHS senior Taylor Oliver to the free throw line. She hit one of two free throws to give CHS a 50-48 lead that was good enough to hold up for the final 30 seconds of the game.
Carbon players were well aware of the threat posed by Pineview, the fourth seed from the vaunted Region 9. Pineview’s big front line tested Carbon all game long down in the paint and battling for rebounds. While fouls began to mount against both teams, it was Pineview who was more affected as they lost players due to fouls down the stretch.
“We knew they’d be a tough team to beat,” said CHS senior guard Taylor Oliver. “The final few minutes were really nerve wracking for us but we played tough and got the win.”
The game was reminiscent of Carbon’s fourth quarter comeback 33-31 win on the road over Juan Diego last season in which they used a late game run to pull out a victory in the 3A First Round.
Bianco credited his team’s experience in close games over the past few years to comeback in the final minutes.
“We’ve got some veteran girls who’ve been there in these situations before,” he said. “They did well down the stretch to get the win.”
Blanc led the Lady Dinos with 13 points. Hillam (12 points) and teammate Jordan Scoggins (11) also finished in double figures for CHS. Oliver, who hit two key 3-pointers in the second half, and senior forward Beth Child each added seven points for the Lady Dinos.
With the win, Carbon advances to the 3A Quarterfinals where they will face Stansbury on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 4:10 p.m. at the Maverik Center in West Valley City.
Other tidbits:
While the exciting comeback win over Pineview was a perfect way to end the week for the Carbon High Girls Basketball team, it also provided a bright spot for one CHS player who had a tough week. CHS senior guard Karina Ivory hurt her knee in a practice leading up to the game. To help honor her contributions to the team over the years, CHS Head Coach Ted Bianco inserted Ivory into the starting lineup in her last game at home. She was introduced as a starter high-fiving teammate Taylor Oliver, who knows her situation all too well after missing last season with a knee injury. Carbon won the opening tip and quickly threw the ball out of bounds allowing Ivory to be subbed out for fellow senior Oliver. Ivory walked to the bench as her teammates and coaches greeted her and the home fans gave her a loud and rousing applause.
“Starting a playoff game at home was something I’ve always wanted to do and I got to do that,” Ivory said after the game.

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