Basketball Game Preview: Manti Templars vs. Carbon Dinos

Manti hasn't had much luck against Carbon recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Manti Templars will take on the Carbon Dinos in a holiday battle at at 7:00 p.m. Manti is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.6 points per game this season.

Manti is headed into Thursday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Tuesday. They were five points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 54-49 heartbreaker at the hands of Emery. While the Templars didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Spartans 14-10 in the first quarter.

Defeat or not, Manti got some senior leadership from June Olsen and Cadee Alder. Olsen dropped a double-double on 12 points and 15 rebounds, while Alder went 6 for 9 on her way to 17 points. Olsen is becoming a predictor of Manti's success: when she posts at least eight rebounds the team is undefeated (and 0-6 when she doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Andelyn Dewey, who posted nine points.

Meanwhile, Carbon came up short against Richfield on Tuesday and fell 42-31. The Dinos have struggled against the Wildcats recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.

Manti's loss dropped their record down to 3-6. As for Carbon, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-6.

Manti lost to Carbon on the road by a decisive 58-43 margin in their previous matchup back in February. Can Manti avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.