It was a packed house inside the Spartan Center on Wednesday night when Carbon and Emery met on the hardwood. Not only was it a rivalry game, but it also was senior night for the Spartans.
Brett Rasmussen, Talon Tuttle, Justin Curtis and Easton Nielson were all honored before the game along with the senior cheerleaders. In addition to bragging rights, Emery was playing for the outright Region 12 Title after Canyon View knocked off Richfield.
Coach Butler’s crew, though, was ready to play spoiler as the Dinos jumped out to an early 10-0 lead. Emery at long last awoke from its slumber and started to climb back in the game. Wade Stilson ended the scoring drought and helped spark the offense. The Spartans then doubled up the Dinos (16-8) in the second quarter to take a 25-22 lead into the break.
Carbon showed its resilience in the second half, retaking the lead. Mason Vasquez started off red-hot from outside, connecting on his first three treys. He greatly surpassed his under four-point game average and finished the game with 15 points. Chet Anderson added another 17 points while Braxton Stevenson scored 12 to keep the Dinos hanging around.
There were six lead changes in the game with the majority coming in the final quarter. Coach Justice called for a full-court press, which helped the Spartans return within striking distance. Just when it looked like Carbon could pull off the upset, Rasmussen took the game over.
Rasmussen finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. A remarkable seven rebounds came on the offensive glass. He only had two points going into the fourth quarter, meaning the vast majority of his output came during crunch time. That was enough to lift the Spartans over the Dinos 65-58. On top of knocking off its rivals, Emery was crowned Region Champions with a 7-1 record.
Stilson also finished with a double-double recording 12 rebounds and 11 points to go along with his five assists and four blocks. Luke Justice added another 14 points while Talon Tuttle tallied three steals.
The Spartans (16-4, 7-1) will have nine days off until they host a home playoff game next Friday. On the other hand, Carbon (8-11, 2-5) will welcome in Richfield (14-5, 5-2) for senior night this Friday.
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- Photos by Dusty Butler
