An instant classic ended in Carbon’s favor as they topped the Emery Spartans 49-48 in a Region 12 thriller Friday night at Carbon High School.
Trailing at the end of each of the first three quarters, the Dinos rallied in the fourth to hold off a determined Emery effort.
Carbon held a 49-45 lead in the closing seconds, but Emery senior Ryker Jensen banked in a three-point shot from 30-feet out with less than five seconds remaining. An inadvertent whistle from the officials, mixed with the Carbon student-section storming the court, caused a referee conference. The officials placed one second on the clock and gave Carbon the basketball. A down court lob was enough to run out the clock and preserve the win for the Dinos.
“They rushed the court and there was still time on the clock. The way it was explained to me was, yes it is against the rules, but they thought the game was over,” said Emery head coach Dave Justice. “So the referees decided to replay the situation. As an Emery or a Carbon fan, I get it both ways. That’s how they explained it to me and that was the end of the game. It was a great effort from both teams and a really fun game to be apart of.”
The confusion, and somewhat controversial ending, did not diminish the brilliant effort from both sides. While both teams swapped leads throughout, neither was able to establish much of a cushion. The competitive contest added to the electric atmosphere of the standing room only crowd that filled the Carbon gym.
Carbon’s perimeter scoring proved to be the difference in the fourth quarter. Over the final eight minutes the Dinos outscored the Spartans 15-12 to earn the monumental region win.
“In this type of game you hope to get an eight to 12 point lead and that is when you put your foot on their throat, and we couldn’t get there,” said Carbon head coach Jared Butler. “There were turnovers, missed looks and they would capitalize. They were fantastic tonight and we feel fortunate for sure.”
Jackson Griffeth led the Dinos with 17 points as he connected on three shots from beyond the arc. Fellow senior Jordan Fossat also knocked down three shots from the perimeter as he scored 13 points. As a team the Dinos finished 8-24 from deep.
Chet Anderson helped guide the Carbon offense at key times during the game as he posted seven points. Rylan Hart chipped in with six points and five rebounds, while Braxton Stevenson recorded a team high seven boards.
Defensively the Dinos forced 22 Emery turnovers, giving them a plus-nine edge in the key category.
Emery junior Brett Rasmussen delivered perhaps his most solid outing of the season as he scored a team best 13 points to go along with 15 rebounds for the game’s lone double-double. Seven of his 15 boards came on the offensive glass.
The Spartans were efficient from inside the three-point line as they connected on 17 of 30 attempts from two-point range. Emery also converted four shots from deep in 12 attempts.
Ryker Jensen scored all nine of his points from the three-point line, while Luke Justice used his ability to get to the basket and score eight. Wade Stilson stuffed the stat sheet with six points, seven assists and four steals.
Friday’s win puts Carbon in the drivers seat for a Region 12 championship. Following the first round of region play, the Dinos hold a 3-1 record, which allows them to control their own destiny over the final four league games.
The loss drops Emery to 1-2 in region play, placing them fourth in the five team region. The Spartans will have one more game on Wednesday against Grand, before heading into the second round of league games.