Coming off a 2-1 performance at the Steve Hodson Classic over winter break, the Carbon Dinos were looking to capitalize on their momentum and seize their first region victory of the season on the road against the Manti Templars. Manti would take hold early and never look back, cruising to a 78-60 win.

The first quarter featured a duel between opposing seniors, with Lincoln Alder from Manti going toe to toe with Cannon Mortensen. Going down 8-0 early, Carbon would fight back and keep the deficit to single digits, as the first quarter ended 21-13 in favor of the Templars.

Both teams continued to battle into the second quarter, with neither wanting to give up any ground. Manti outscored the Dinos by a narrow two-point margin to increase their lead to 10, and they entered the half up 36-26.

The Templars’ persistent pace would continue to cause fits for Carbon, leading to turnovers and easy transition buckets. The Dinos were down, but not out, as junior Ty Mortensen came out of the half and caught fire, bruising his way into the paint and grabbing boards as he led Carbon’s scoring attack. However, for every point the Dinos scored, Manti would answer in kind, making it a 58-44 ball game going into the final frame.

The fourth quarter would follow the same script as the rest of the game, with the teams trading baskets back and forth. The Templars would be able to grab the edge again this quarter, outscoring Carbon 20-16 and earning a 78-60 victory.

For Carbon, it was the Mortensen’s leading the way, with Ty Mortensen ending with a team-high 19 points, Cannon Mortensen finishing with 13, and Carter Warburton adding eight.

With the loss, the Dinos move to 3-10 on the season and 0-4 in region play. They will now regroup and prepare to welcome the cross-county rival Emery Spartans to Jurassic Park on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Live play-by-play action will start at 6:30 p.m. on KRPX 95.3 the Peak with the Landon’s Diesel Service Pregame show with tipoff to follow at 7 p.m.