Carbon welcomed Delta on Friday night along with the state’s leading scorer, Derek Smith. Merrick Morgan had the tall task of following Smith around for the majority of the night.
The Dinos, along with Morgan, did an excellent job to slow down Smith and company in the first half. They held Smith to five points and Delta to just 15. The problem was that Carbon could not take advantage of its outstanding defensive effort due to its own shooting struggles. The game went into halftime tied at 15.
The third quarter was one to forget for Carbon. The Rabbits found their groove on offense behind Smith as they more than doubled their first half score with 19 in the period. On the other hand, the Dinos’ difficulties were only magnified. Carbon was held scoreless in the first seven minutes of the second half and lost the quarter 19-3. Delta went on to take the contest 48-27.
Brady Gagon accounted for 13 of the Dino’s 27 points. Many of Carbon’s shots seemed rushed or forced, which translated in its offensive performance. Carbon only converted on 20 percent of its field goals, including 15 percent from beyond the arc.
It was not all bad for the Dinos as some players took steps forward. Keenan Hatch played with a lot more confidence down-low and recorded six rebounds and three blocks while Morgan and Noah Bradford played well on defense.
On Wednesday, the Dinos (4-3) will have another home game, this time against Union (0-6). Watch the Dinos attempt to right the ship live on ETV Channel 10 and and online at etvnews.com/livesports.
-
- Photos by Jeff Barrett
