Trying to snap a three-game losing skid, the Carbon Dinos welcomed the Manti Templars to town for a region showdown on Wednesday, Jan. 29. A comeback attempt from Carbon would bring the game within two possessions midway through the fourth quarter. Still, a prolonged run would help Manti snatch victory from the jaws of defeat 73-60.
The first quarter would be a back-and-forth affair, with the Dinos initially jumping out to an 8-2 advantage before Manti stormed back to retake the lead. Aided by senior guard Dax Anderson who scored 10 points in the frame, the Templars put up 19 points. Carbon junior Logan Bennett would be the spark for the Dinos, contributing five in the quarter and helping make it a 19-17 ballgame at the end of one.
Looking to pull away, Manti would open the second quarter on a 5-0 run. Junior Carter Warburton would end the drought, scoring the first points of the period for the Dinos. Both teams would continue to battle, but another Templar run would help them win the quarter 15-11, and give Manti a 34-28 advantage at the half.
The Templars entered the third calling the name of Stone Mortensen, whose unprecedented ability to earn trips to the free-throw line resulted in a nine-point period for the junior. The Dinos duo of Bennett and Jackson Basone would help keep comeback hopes alive as they combined for 11 points. Heading into the final frame it was a 54-44 ballgame.
Opening the fourth, Carbon would rip off a quick 6-0 run to make it a two-possession ballgame and force a Manti timeout. After this, however, the Templars would explode offensively, scoring six unanswered to open their lead back up to double digits. Manti would maintain this advantage as the game came to a close 73-60.
The Dinos again featured a balanced scoring attack, with Bennett leading the way with 13 points. Kyler Orth contributed nine, Warburton and Bosone would each have eight and senior duo Evan Lancaster and Cannon Mortensen would each add seven.
The loss moves Carbon to 4-16 on the season and 1-10 in region play. Currently, the Dinos sit at 14 in the UHSAA RPI.
Up next for the squad is a trip across county lines to face the Emery Spartans in a rivalry showdown. That game will be streamed on KRPX 95.3 the Peak and Castle Country Sports-Carbon starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31. A video stream of the game can also be viewed on Castle Country Sports-Emery.