From Deseret News archives:
High school girls basketball: Carbon knocks off Grantsville
"I knew it was going to be a good game," said Smith, who earned a career-high 31 points in Carbon's 56-53 victory Tuesday night.
What she didn't know is that she and her teammates would trail the Cowboys by seven points at halftime and then fall behind by as much as 13 points in the third quarter.
"We weren't mentally focused in the first half," said Smith, who was also a huge factor defensively. "We made a lot of stupid mistakes."
The only other game in which the Dinos have been down by double digits was last week's loss to Wasatch.
Carbon coach Cami Carlson was impressed with the way her team rallied from behind to win Tuesday night.
"It was really nice (to come back for a win)," Carlson said. "It tells me that we're learning."
At halftime Carlson said she specifically addressed the issue of quitting.
"We talked about not giving up," she said. "We threw a press on as a little surprise, and then Patricia Smith nailed those two 3-pointers ... We just talked about not giving up no matter what the score was. I say that and then they actually do it; they believe it. Some coaches don't have that luxury. They never gave up. It was awesome."
Smith said she and her teammates were nervous about the hole they were in, but they also felt confident that if they just played hard, they could make up some of those points. The press did spark the Dino defense, which was led by Smith and her twin sister, Samantha Smith, both quick, athletic guards. Despite a height disadvantage, the Dinos hustle — and Smith's sharp shooting — made the difference.
The Smith sisters said not only do they have a connection, but the entire team has good chemistry, which allows them to anticipate what each other is doing.
"We just have a mental connection because we've been playing together all of our lives," Samantha Smith said. "We just have a feel for each other."
Julia Potts played well with 11 points and Tia Pappas added eight points and several steals. Carlson praised the effort of all of her players, but acknowledged, the Smith sisters, "are the heart of our defense." In the fourth quarter the difference was free throw shooting. Carbon made their free throws, while Grantsville did not.
"We've struggled with that a little bit this year," said Grantsville coach Kenzie Newton. "It's mostly mental...We also struggled to finish some shots we usually make down the stretch."
The Cowboys were led by senior Sammie Jensen, who has verbally committed to Snow College. She earned 25 points, including a 3-point shot that put Grantsville within a point with six seconds left in the game. An intentional foul put Patricia Smith on the line and she made both shots. Kelsi Wells had an impressive game as well with 16 points. Lynnsey Ware made two critical free throws that put Grantsville within a point with a minute to go, which wasn't an easy task. She subbed in for Jensen, who left the game briefly after injuring her ankle, simply to shoot the high-pressure free throws.Carlson said the players had some doubts about their abilities after the loss to Wasatch. Tuesday's win goes a long way to silencing doubters, as well as shoring up confidence.
"I think it makes us believe that even when we're down, we can come back," said Patricia. Adds her sister, "And we learned that we definitely have to come to play the whole game."
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com
