Rivalry week started with a bang between the Emery Spartans and the Carbons Dinos on Tuesday, Jan. 7 as the lady Dinos made the cross-county trip to the Spartan Center for a region showdown. The Lady Spartans started fast and never looked back as they defeated the Dinos 58-38.
Emery would open the game swinging, going on a 19-1 run in the first quarter and holding the Dinos to only five points. Getting it done for the Spartans was senior Katelyn Neilson who put up 13 points in the opening stanza. Also pushing the pace was senior Sage Curtis, who hit two three-pointers to make it a 21-5 ballgame at the end of one.
Carbon would start to battle back in the second quarter through a balanced scoring attack from seniors Jacie Jensen and Becca Swasey. The Dinos would go blow for blow with the Spartans in the second frame, with each team scoring eight points, making the score heading into the break 29-13.
Carbon would again hold their own in the third, outscoring Emery 17-15. Junior Emma Bowman found her offensive stride as did junior Bailey Johnson. For Emery, after being held scoreless in the first half, senior Kali Jensen found her stroke from deep. After three, it was 44-30.
Emery would repeat their dominance from the first quarter in the final frame, with a relentless press and return to form on offense, the Spartans would outscore Carbon 14-8 as senior Jabry Sharp would score five in the quarter and Neilson finding the bottom of the basket for the first time since the first quarter to the tune of six points as the Spartans cruised to a 58-38 victory.
Leading the way in scoring for Emery was Neilson, who finished with 19 points. Other top scorers for the Spartans included Kali Jensen with nine, Saige Curtis with six, and Sharp with five.
For the Dinos, it was Jacie Jensen with eight points, Johnson and Swasey with six and Bowman with five.
The Spartans (6-8 overall, 3-2 Region 12) now take a few days’ rest until Thursday, Jan. 9 when they travel to Mt. Pleasant to take on the North Sanpete Hawks. Carbon (2-11 overall, 0-4 Region 12) on the other hand will return home on Jan. 9 where they welcome the Canyon View Falcons into town. They’ll end the week at home on Saturday, Jan. 11, against the Delta Rabbits. Live play-by-play action for that game will start at 3:30 p.m. with the Landon’s Diesel Service pregame show with tipoff to follow at 4 p.m. You can stream this game on KRPX 95.3 the Peak and YouTube at Castle Country Sports-Carbon.