Draper » Though it was still an early regular season game, the Juan Diego boys' basketball team didn't hold anything back against Carbon on Friday night. The Soaring Eagle battled for each rebound, sacrificed their bodies on the floor and dived into the stands to maintain possession and stayed one step ahead of the Dinos all night. In the end, that extra effort helped the Soaring Eagle turn a frenetic first-quarter start and two-point lead into a 65-51 win over Carbon on Friday night.

"We wanted to press and get things started early," said Juan Diego coach Sonny Tangaro. "Our quick pace really helped us tonight."

That quick pace also meant a lack of offensive control for the Soaring Eagle in the opening quarter. Juan Diego's quick-passing game kept the Dinos on their toes early on, but it wasn't until the Soaring Eagle slowed things down that their offensive game fell into place. The Dinos struggled to contain Tyler Bauman's and Pablo Coro's aggressive drives to the net as the two combined for 33 points.

Though the Soaring Eagle outdid the Dinos on man-to-man defense, they had a tough time shutting down Carbon's Joey Keller, who scored 16 of his 22 points in the first half. However, it was that aggressive defense that sent Carbon to the line just enough to keep pace in the second half and the Soaring Eagle still held a 10-point lead heading into the final quarter. But Juan Diego kept up the pressure, forcing turnovers and sneaking out steal after steal until the Dinos just ran out of steam.

"Our defense was just superb," said Tangaro. "But it had to be. You've got to hold service at home because road games in this region are so difficult."