Fresh off the 2a/3a preview, the Carbon Dinos were still on the hunt for their first win of the season when they welcomed the Grand Red Devils to Carbon High for a non-region showdown. In a performance defined by defense, the Dinos would explode and earn their first win of the season 74-54.

In the first quarter, the two teams engaged in a duel, each time trading baskets. For the Red Devils, senior guard Trace York put in the work, scoring 14 points in the opening frame. Carbon, in turn, responded with a balanced scoring attack, led by junior Kyler Orth, who went on a 6-0 run by himself to open the game. This scoring battle led to a 16-13 advantage for Grand at the end of the first frame.

The Dinos, not looking to fall behind, opened the second quarter relentlessly, going on a 10-0 run to take the lead. Grand battled back from this and went into the halftime breakdown one point, 32-21.

The third quarter would be defined by defense, as Carbon would hold the Red Devils to only 14 points while scoring 23 of their own. Senior Rydge Butler and junior Carter Warburton would be key contributors this quarter, each hitting timely shots and playing scrappy defense to make it a 55-45 ballgame heading into the final frame of action.

The fourth quarter was dominated by senior Cannon Mortensen, who in 10 seconds scored eight points and racked up two steals, burying Grand with his scoring avalanche. “Coming in 0-5, there was a lot of hate and a lot of people dissing us, so we had to show them that we can play,” said Mortensen in the Eastern Utah Community Credit Union postgame show.

This burst would help push the Dino’s lead to 20 points, an advantage which they would maintain until the final buzzer, winning the game 74-54.

Leading the way in scoring for Carbon was Mortensen, who ended with 21 points. Orth finished with 17, Butler with 16 and Warburton ended with seven.

With the win, the Dinos move to 1-5 on the season. Next on the schedule is Carbon’s region opener against the Juab Wasps on the road in Nephi. That game is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 12. Live play-by-play action will start at 6:30 p.m. with the Landon’s Diesel Service pregame show with tipoff to follow at 7 p.m. You can stream this game on KRPX 95.3 the Peak and YouTube at Castle Country Sports-Carbon.