The Emery Spartans punched their ticket to the semifinals of the 3A State Championship Tournament with a 77-56 win over the Grand Red Devils Thursday morning at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.
Trailing 14-10 in the first quarter, the Spartans used a 26-8 run to take control of the contest. Up 37-22 at the end of the first half Emery outscored Grand in the final two quarters to preserve the win.
“I thought our guys really gutted out the win and did a good job,” said head coach Todd Jeffs. “I thought the biggest factor of the game was our rebounding. Against a big team like Grand we typically give up a lot of rebounds, and to me that was the biggest factor.”
Emery out-rebounded Grand 40-24, while grabbing 12 boards on the offensive glass. Second chance opportunities came at premium for Grand, as they accumulated only three for the game.
Kyson Stilson delivered a team best 28-points to go along with seven rebounds to lead Emery in the quarterfinals win. Fellow senior Brodie Tuttle scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half, connecting on three-of-four makes from deep.
“When I do good on defense it helps my offense and the team’s offense,” said Tuttle, who also finished with four steals. “I thought we played really good defense. We had some early fouls called on us, but those are hustle fouls.”
As a team the Spartans shot a blistering 52-percent from the field, converting 26-of-50 attempts. Known throughout the season for high volume beyond the perimeter, Emery knocked down seven of just 13 attempts from deep.
Senior Cameron Hoppensteadt poured in a game-high 29 points and gathered 14 rebounds to lead the Red Devils in defeat. Nolan Ramirez contributed nine points before fouling out, while Connor Guerrero added five.
Thursday morning’s win places Emery just one win away from the 3A State Championship game Saturday night. The team will now turn its focus to Friday night, where they will meet the Richfield Wildcats for a chance to play for the state title.
Sharing Region 15, Emery and Richfield have met twice this season. The Wildcats earned a slim 77-73 win in Castle Dale on Jan. 4, before completing the season series sweep with a 65-60 in Richfield on Jan. 25.
Live coverage of Friday night’s semifinal match up will begin on KOAL 107.3 FM and 750 AM at 8:40 p.m.. The live audio feed will also be available at castlecountryradio.com.