The Carbon Dinos withstood a hot Maeser Prep start to win an important Region 14 tilt Wednesday night, 65-56.
The Lions seemingly hit everything they attempted in the first quarter, ending the period with the 22-17 lead.
The lead went to 10, 30-20, after another three by Maeser Prep at the 6:20 mark of the second. The Dinos buckled down defensively, not allowing the Lions another point in the quarter. Jordan Vasquez hit back-to-back threes with under a minute to go in the half, the last of which right at the buzzer, to give the Dinos the 31-30 halftime lead.
Another three by Vasquez early in the third quarter reclaimed the Dino lead at 36-35, a lead Carbon would never relinquish. The Dinos finished the third quarter on a 20-5 run to take the commanding 53-40 lead at the end of the quarter.
Again Maeser Prep responded, beginning the fourth quarter on a 12-1 to cut the Dino lead the two, 54-52, at the 4:03 mark. The teams traded buckets the rest of the way. Vasquez was also clutch from the free throw line, going 5-6 down the stretch. He finished with 19 points on the night.
Besides Vasquez’s 19, including four threes, Derek Hillam added 15 more. Colin Lewis was next with 11 points, adding three threes of his own.
Carbon (5-15, 4-6 Region 14) sits in fifth place in the Region 14 standings with just two games remaining. Wednesday’s win over Maeser Prep all but guaranteed the Dinos a spot in next month’s 3A Playoffs. Carbon will host Union and American Leadership Academy next week to wrap up the regular season.
Watch highlights of the game below:
