The Carbon Lady Dinos used a dominating second half performance to power past the Juab Wasps 45-30 in the quarterfinals of the 3A state tournament Thursday night at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.
Trailing 11-10 at the end of the first quarter, the Lady Dinos captured a slim 16-15 lead heading into half time. Carbon took complete control in the third quarter as they again held Juab under double digits, taking a 34-22 lead into the final stanza.
“It was a really ugly first half and we had so many jitters,” said head coach Cami Carlson after the win. “I felt like our defense really stepped up. Our goal was to hold them under 10 points a quarter and they got 11 in the first, but then we made up for it in the second. After that it got progressively better and better.”
Madi Orth flirted with a triple-double, leading Carbon with 12 points, seven rebounds and eight steals. Amiah Timothy finished with nine points, four assists and one steal.
Jacie Jensen helped spark Carbon’s second half turn around as she scored seven of her 12 points in the third quarter. She also set the tone defensively with three steals.
“Jacie has had to do that a few times,” said Carlson when asked about Jensen’s performance. “Everybody else gets into foul trouble and Jacie is not, so she has to step up and take control of the offense. She always seems to take care of it and she gets us to where we need to be.”
Carbon’s stifling defense made it extremely difficult for Juab to find any rhythm in the second half. As a team the Wasps shot just 22-percent from the field, converting on 10-of-44 attempts.
Thursday’s win gives Carbon a clean sweep over Juab in three games this season, while putting the Lady Dinos in the semifinals for the second straight season.
Carbon will now return to the court Friday night against the Richfield Wildcats, for a chance to advance to the 3A state championship game. The two teams split the season series as both teams won on their opponent’s home floor.
Live coverage of Friday’s contest will air live on KRPX 95.3 The Peak. Pre-game coverage will begin at 5:30, followed by tip-off at 5:50.