With just over a minute to play in the Judge Memorial boys' basketball team's 47-40 win over Carbon in the first round of the 3A tournament, the Bulldogs' Oliver Hughes was forced to think about how it would feel if his team, the defending 3A state champions, didn't advance past the first round.

The thought didn't sit well.

But neither did Judge's stale shooting performance in the first half. The normally sharp-shooting Bulldogs fell completely flat in the opening minutes, particularly from behind the arc. Hughes, who averages 10 points a game, watched as shot after shot floated around the rim, but never dropped.

"I was nervous," said Hughes, who had just two points heading into the fourth quarter. "But we just had to stick with it. We're a resilient team."

The Bulldogs are also a good third-quarter team and proved it by scoring six points in the opening 45 seconds of the second half to distance themselves a bit from the Dinos. Carbon's Keny Seals and Joey Keller had put on a two-man show in the first half, combining for 14 points to keep the Dinos in the hunt.

However, two weren't enough to stop Judge once the shooting arms of Stallon Saldivar and Dee Crandall caught fire.

"That first minute of the second half was the biggest minute of the game," said Judge coach Jim Yerkovich. "We've always been a good third quarter team. We have been for years."

But Carbon didn't let up and, after letting a three point first quarter lead turn into an 32-24 deficit heading into the fourth, the persistent Dinos trailed by only one point with just over a minute on the clock. Meanwhile, while Judge's traditionally solid three-point game continued to fall short, the Bulldogs managed to find some uncharacteristic composure from behind the free-throw line down the stretch.

Hughes redeemed his flat shooting performance by draining six straight shots from the foul line. Saldivar went 7-for-8 to lock down the win for the Bulldogs down the stretch.

"Our three-point shots were unbelievable. Last year when we won state, it was exactly the opposite," said Yerkovich. "But the important thing is that we advanced. We just found a way to win."

Judge will now take on Cedar in the 3A state quarterfinals at the E Center on Thursday in a venue that conjures up plenty of good memories for the Bulldogs.

"I'm hoping those memories will come alive for them again," said Yerkovich. "It's a place where we've always played well."