The Emery Lady Spartans completed a perfect season with a dominating 59-31 victory over the Grantsville Cowboys in the 3A State Championship game Saturday night at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.
Entering the finale with an unbeaten record and a 39-game winning streak, the Lady Spartans left little doubt with a powerful performance out of the gate. The win marks the second consecutive 3A State Championship and gives the team a perfect 25-0 record for the 2018-19 season.
“Our girls show up day-in and day-out and work their tails off,” said head coach Lynn Tuttle. “You could see all season that they had one thing in mind and that was tonight. They earned everything they got.”
Reigning 3A MVP Megan Jensen stayed true to form by delivering 26 points, eight rebounds and five blocks for the Lady Spartans. The powerful performance helped Emery capture an early double-digit lead as Jensen scored on eight of her first 14 attempts from the field.
Holding a 16-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, Emery limited Grantsville to just four points in the second quarter. The 26-14 advantage at the break grew in the third with an 18-6 run.
Following comfortable wins over Morgan and Juab on Thursday and Friday the Lady Spartans showed no signs of fatigue in playing for the third consecutive night. Unlike Emery, Grantsville endured two close finishes beating South Sevier and Richfield by a combined six points ahead of Saturday’s game.
“We knew coming into the game tonight we would have the fresher legs because of our big wins the last couple of nights,” said Tuttle. “Our girls just fought hard and its almost like they don’t know how to lose.”
Senior Kinlee Toomer recorded a double-double, ending with 14 points, ten rebounds and five steals for the Lady Spartans. Kacelyn Toomer finished with ten points and seven assists, while Bailey Huggard added four points.
Defensively Emery held Grantsville to just eight field goals on 40 attempts. The defensive pressure carried beyond the perimeter where the Cowboys connected on just one-of-eight shots.
Madison Fields scored a game-high nine points to pace Grantsville in the loss. Hannah Butler scored seven and both Ashlee Edwards and Maison White scored six.
Since falling to North Sevier in the 2A State Championship in 2017 Emery has won 50 out of its last 51 games. During that stretch the team has accumulated a winning-streak of 40 games, marking the fifth longest streak of its kind for girls high school basketball in the state of Utah.
Following the victory coach Tuttle stopped by the broadcast table to talk about the victory. Listen to the complete interview below: