Plagued by poor shooting for the first three quarters, the Emery Lady Spartans scored 24 points in the final stanza to rally past the Delta Rabbits 40-33 Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the 3A State Championship Tournament at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.

Entering as the highest remaining seed, the No. 2 ranked Spartans were held to just 16 points through the first three quarters. Faced with a 24-16 deficit with 7:02 remaining in the game, Emery put together a 24-9 run to earn the hard fought win.

“That was a tough, ugly one. I feel fortunate to come out with a win tonight,” said head coach Lynn Tuttle. “The girls have to believe we can do it. And when they see we can run on a team they start to believe in themselves.”

Tatum Tanner helped stabilize the Emery offense as she finished with a game-high 12 points to go along with six rebounds and five blocks. A solid presence throughout the game, Tatum scored the team’s only basket in the third and the first in the fourth.

While Tanner brought consistency in scoring, Bethany Justice provided a spark on the defensive end. Scoring seven points, Justice ended with three steals and four rebounds.

“She did really well and also hit one of those three point shots that was a momentum changer,” Tuttle said when asked about Justice’s performance. “She was one of the main reasons we got the momentum going late.”

Tambrie Tuttle contributed nine points, including a right wing three-pointer that sparked a 16-2 run. Daicee Ungerman and Addie Lester both finished with five.

Delta used a balanced offensive performance, led by leading scorer Jadee Dutson’s nine points. Jordyn Nielson scored eight, while Kinlie Davis finished with six.

Both teams struggled from the field as Emery shot 14-41 compared to Delta’s 11-40. The biggest differential came from beyond the arc where Emery hit three more shots.

Emery’s win coupled with a South Sevier loss means the Lady Spartans are now the highest ranked team left in the tournament. Down to just four teams, No. 4 Carbon will meet No. 8 Morgan, while No. 2 Emery will play the winner of No. 3 Grantsville and No. 6 Judge Memorial.

“We’re glad to be in the situation we are. It wasn’t pretty and we don’t have a lot of time to relax. Hopefully we’ll get a some good rest tonight and show up a little better tomorrow,” Tuttle said.

Friday’s semifinals matchup will tip-off at 5:00 p.m.. Live coverage of the contest will begin at 4:30 on KOAL 107.3 FM and 750 AM.