The Emery Spartans used a dominating first half performance to defeat the Carbon Dinos 84-63 in the first of two regular season meetings Wednesday night at Carbon High School.
Trailing 10-5 early in the opening quarter, the Spartans used a 20-2 run to take control of the game. Entering the second half with a 45-22 advantage, Emery never trailed by less than 14 over the final two quarters in the decisive win.
“Any time you go on the road and get a win, especially in an environment like this, its a fantastic accomplishment,” said Emery head coach Dave Justice. “Carbon is a very good team and a very well coached team. For us to jump on them early and hold on throughout makes me proud as a coach.”
Luke Justice scored 20 points, the majority of which came in transition, to lead the Spartans in the highly important region win. Zack Tuttle produced consistently throughout the game with 14 points off the bench, while Talon Tuttle continued his hot streak with 13.
Emery managed to change the momentum of the game early as the defense created multiple turnovers on the perimeter leading to transition points. The aggressive Emery defense kept pressure on throughout the game, forcing 17 turnovers in the process.
Nine different Emery players scored at least two points in the win. Creek Sharp scored nine of the team's 31 bench points.
“I think we had a few nerves to start and we missed a few shots,” said Justice. “Credit to them, they hit some shots early. Once we got the fast break game going we ended up getting some really good looks at the rim and that helped settle us down.”
Chet Anderson delivered a hefty 21 point performance despite the loss for the Dinos. Initiating contact with aggressive play towards the basket, Anderson connected on all 13 of his free throw attempts to go along with four makes from the field.
Cole Cripps helped push the Carbon offense as he finished with 10 points. Mason Vasquez scored all nine of his points from the perimeter and Braxton Stevenson finished with eight.
Unable to slow Emery’s first quarter run, things took a turn for the worst for the Dinos as they were outscored 27-10 in the second quarter. Carbon managed to get back within striking distance by topping Emery 20-12 in the third quarter. The comeback effort came to a halt as the Spartans scored the first six points in the final quarter.
The win moves Emery to 2-1 in Region 12 play and 11-4 overall on the season. After opening league play with a loss to Richfield, the Spartans have now secured wins over Canyon View and Carbon, creating space in the RPI for the No. 3 ranking.
