Rivalry week continued within the Castle Country Area on Wednesday when the Carbon Dinos welcomed the Emery Spartans to the Dino Den. Following a slow first half, Emery would explode to the tune of 42 points in the second half as they walked away with a 62-43 rivalry victory over the Dinos.

In the opening frame offense was at a premium, with neither team wanting to give any ground to the other. Blocked shots, stolen passes and missed shots became the norm in the first quarter. For the Spartans, Jace Frandsen got the scoring started with a three-pointer. Carbon’s Maxwell Carlson would answer back, bullying his way into the paint and scoring from the low block. Both teams would end the period tied 9-9.

The second quarter would follow the same trajectory, with Emery answering each Dino basket with one of their own. Carter Warburton for Carbon would provide the spark on both sides of the ball, scoring four points in the quarter while playing lockdown defense against the Spartan’s frontcourt. Frandsen would again hit a three bringing his first-half total to six, while West Johanson dominated the paint for a total of five first-half points. Going into the break the teams were neck and neck with Emery holding a slim 20-19 lead.

Following the break, Emery came out like a different team, with West Johansen and Frandsen igniting a run which buried the Dinos.  ”We played outstandingly. We didn’t do much differently, just trying to share the ball and ripping to the basket, playing off two feet. I thought they did a great job making the extra pass which led to a lot of open looks that we were fortunate enough to make,” said Emery Coach Dave Justice of the third-quarter explosion. Carbon did however fight back, as Carlson continued his stellar performance and Cannon Mortensen came alive, crashing the glass and earning several putback points. Heading into the final frame it was 45-33 in favor of Emery.

The Spartans would again find themselves in the driver’s seat in the fourth, outsourcing the Dinos 17-10 en route to a 62-43 victory which was capped off by a thunderous dunk courtesy of Will Jeffs.

For Emery, leading the way was West Johansen who closed the game with 17 points. Frandsen finished with 15 and Jeffs and fellow senior Braxton Butler each contributing nine. For Carbon Cannon Mortensen led the team with 11 points, Carlson ended with 10 and Ty Mortensen added seven,

Carbon (3-11, 0-5 Region 12) now looks ahead to Friday, Jan. 10 where they take the long road to Cedar City to face the Canyon View Falcons. Live play-by-play action for that game will begin at 6:30 p.m. on KRPX 95.3 the Peak with tipoff set for 7 p.m.

Emery (6-8, 3-2 Region 12) will take a day to rest before welcoming the North Sanpete Hawks to the Spartan Center. Live coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. on KOAL 107.3 FM and 750 AM or YouTube at Castle Country Sports-Emery with the opening tip scheduled for 7 p.m.