The Emery Spartans boys basketball team earned their seventh consecutive win over the Carbon Dinos, this time using a big second half to capture a 54-48 victory Saturday night at the Spartan Center in Castle Dale.
Kolton Butler scored 13 points to help the Spartans surge past the Dinos with a big second half. Bowdie Jacobson scored 11 of his 12 points in the final two quarters as Emery erased a seven-point third quarter deficit to improve to 8-0.
Entering Saturday’s rivalry match-up with a three game winning streak, the Dinos held a 22-18 lead at the end of the first half. Kyle Quinton led Carbon with 12 points and Jamin Jensen scored eight from a starting role. Sophomore Derek Hillam chipped in with seven off of the bench in an impressive performance. Carbon slips below the .500 barrier with the loss to 4-5 overall.
Carbon’s aggressive offense put Emery standout Koby Butler in foul trouble early. Playing just over two minutes in the second half, Butler fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter. Emery changed their offensive game plan to a five-out set, which led to Kolton Butler and Bowdie Jacobson taking over the game to help their team to the win.
“Koby got in foul trouble early and we’ve been practicing five out,” said Kolton Butler during the post game show on KOAL 107.3 FM and 750 AM. “We didn’t shoot too well in the first half, but we came out in the second half and got physical and ended up taking it over.”
Playing for the third time in four days, and the night after a road contest against North Sanpete, the Spartans struggled from the field early. The Dinos on the other hand dealt with a cancellation on Friday against Tooele, and the fresh legs were a factor early on.
Carbon managed to out shoot Emery from the perimeter as they knocked down six attempts from deep, compared to five for the Spartans. Gage Daugherty scored all six of his points from long distance, while Jensen, Chase Morgan, Brendan Palacios and Tyler Moynier also connected once.
“They are very respectful, and I have a lot of fun playing against these kids,” said Butler. “I have a ton of respect for Kyle Quinton. We had a fun battle throughout the night, and he is a good player.”
Both team will take the court one more time before heading into the Christmas break. Wednesday the Spartans will play host to the Union Cougars, while the Dinos will host Spanish Fork the same night. The two teams will share the court one more time on Saturday, Jan. 7 at Carbon High School.