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Nearly 15 minutes after the final horn had sounded signaling Emery's reign as Class 3A state champion, senior center Taylor Mann cradled the winning team's hardware.

She treated the trophy as if it were a defensive rebound — no one else was going to get a finger on it.

Mann scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Spartans to a 55-42 upset of Carbon on Saturday night at the Huntsman Center.

Sophomore guard Blayr Jeffs scored 17 points and senior forward Brooke Jensen added 12 points and 12 rebounds, as the Spartans avenged two previous losses to the Dinos and erased memories of a title game loss in 2009.

"It's the best feeling in the world," said Mann, who scored 11 points in the second half and was named tournament MVP. "We are on cloud nine."

Added senior Jessica Murray: "This is amazing. A lot better than losing by a point like we did two years ago."

Carbon's Tia Pappas scored 15 points but managed just two points after halftime. Emery (17-6) outscored the Dinos 32-16 in the second half and shot 32 free throws to seven for Carbon (20-2). Emery's height was the difference, as the 6-foot-2 Mann and 6-1 Jensen dominated the glass.

"We told the big guys it's up to them," Emery coach Steven Gordon said. "If we want to win a state championship, we outsize them in the paint, we've just got to go get the boards and get to the line." —

Highlights

R Tournament MVP Taylor Mann scores 18 points and grabs 12 rebounds as Emery wins the battle of the boards and claims its second state title.

• Carbon is defeated for just the second time this season, falling to Emery for the first time in three meetings. Carbon senior Tia Pappas scores 15 points, but just two points come after halftime.