The Emery Spartans basketball season came to an end on Feb. 19 at Layton Christian Academy, who would go on to become the 3A State Champion. Coach Dave Justice also wrapped up his first season as head coach of the Spartans going 7-15 overall and 3-5 in region play. The Spartans are only losing two players to graduation and will be senior heavy with six juniors off of this team expected to step up for next season as well.
Coach Justice joined KOAL’s Drive Time Sports to discuss some of the returning players for next season and what they could bring to the team.
“You need to start with Brett (Rasmussen). Brett at the first of the season was trying to figure himself out a little bit, and his last five games I think he averaged a double-double, like 13 and 10 and he was a monster, he had a monster game against Providence, I think he had around 20 points and he just is an awesome rim protector. He just grew, I just love to see his progress throughout the season. Wade (Stilson) we’re so excited to have him back. It seemed like in the last five or six games he just found his stride, Wade is kind of a do-it-all type player, which means he can shoot, he is also an awesome defender, one awesome stat from Wade, I believe he led 3A in steals or was close. and obviously Luke (Justice), with his ability to get to the basket and you know I think his shot is improving too. We’re excited about those three starters coming back, but then we’re also super excited about all of those JV kids.”
Below is a recap of the games played this season.
Nov. 19- South Summit- Loss- 54-40
The Coach Dave Justice era began on Friday night at the Spartan Center as Emery welcomed the South Summit Wildcats. Emery got out to a 10-5 lead at the end of one but methodically the Wildcats would chip away at the Spartans and take the 54-40 win.
The Spartans have just three returning seniors this season. Ryker Jensen, Kysen Curtis and Jace Mangum will suit up in the black and yellow for their final campaign, and while Justice is excited for the underclassmen to step up they will be leaning on the trio this year.
“We only have three seniors, but we’re super confident in our seniors. We’re kind of expecting Kysen to be our man for us, our leader, especially with Kysen, Ryker and Jace to kind of express our senior leadership”, Justice said recently on KOAL’s Drive Time Sports.
In the contest with South Summit the Spartans we’re down just two points at the half. Unfortunately the Spartans had problems protecting the ball committing 27 turnovers in the contest.
The third quarter was when in Emery fell down being outscored 18-8 by the Wildcats. In the fourth the Spartans would come up with 14 but had already fell to far behind to come back.
Curtis led the way for the Spartans with 12 points and seven rebounds, 6’6” junior Brett Rasmussen added nine and pulled down 16 rebounds. Sophomore Luke Justice added six points and four boards.
Nov. 23- Juan Diego- Loss- 72-50
Coming off a loss to South Summit last Friday the Spartans hit the road to take on possibly the No. 1 team in 3A the Juan Diego Soaring Eagle. It was a tall task and the game was actually closer than the final score would indicate but in the end Juan Diego handed Emery their second loss of the season 72-50.
Juan Diego is led by Malick Dialo, a 6’8″ sophomore who already has offers on the table from BYU and USU.
Emery started slowly in the first quarter coming up with just eight points. The Spartans 6’6″ junior Brett Rasmussen got into foul trouble in the first half and had to come out to avoid getting another. Emery coach Dave Justice said after the game that they feel comfortable with who’s coming off the bench in those situations however.
“Well obviously we need Brett on the floor, he’s an awesome defensive presence for us, we kind of try to run our offense through him. For Brett, it’s just about being those smart fouls, like I don’t mind those fouls at the rim when he’s kind of protecting it, straight up, battling. But at the same time we’re super comfortable with Mangum and Kysen running that four and that five and it just brings in another guard, so we do go a little smaller, but when we have to go minutes without Brett we’re super comfortable with the guys that we have.”
While the score doesn’t indicate it, the game was closer than what on paper looks like a 22 point beating. In the second quarter Juan Diego was up by 15 at one point and Emery had cut that lead to just six with one minute left till the half, and Emery had the lead down to seven with three minutes left in the third.
“They’re hard working kids, they’re good kids. I’m just super proud of them, we just need to continue this effort and as well as the effort, just continue improving in all aspects of the game and hopefully we’re there at the end of the year”, Justice commented.
For the Spartans it was Wade Stilson and Kysen Curtis who both put in 10 points a piece. Luke Justice added nine.
Dec. 1- Juab- Win- 46-33
Emery High School boy’s basketball coach Dave Justice earned his first victory at the varsity level as the Spartans defeated the defending 3A State Champion Juab Wasps 46-33 Wednesday night in Ephraim.
Rebounding from a loss last week against Juan Diego, the Spartans put on a defensive clinic. Juab was held below 10 points in two of the four quarters and Emery developed a comfortable lead with a 19-7 run in the third quarter.
“I have tremendous respect for Juab and the way they run their program,” said Justice. “We went up there with the mentality and the mindset of us winning. It worked out for us and that’s the mindset we have to have moving forward.”
Wade Stilson paced the Spartans as he poured a game and season high 16 points. His presence was felt on both sides of the court as he also gathered seven rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Luke Justice provided a second punch from the Emery backcourt as he chipped in with 14 points on an efficient 4-of-7 shooting from the field. Justice also crashed the boards as he finished with five defensive rebounds.
“Those two are doing a fantastic job and they combined for 29 points,” Justice said. “When you look at them, they are both mature sophomores. They look like upperclassmen and still have room to grow. Just like the rest of our team, we just have to keep working and getting better.”
Junior Brett Rasmussen continued to solidify himself as one of the best rim protectors in the classification as he anchored the potent Emery defense. Aside from adjusting several shots in the paint, Rasmussen scored eight points and added six rebounds.
Dec. 8- Union- Loss- 52-45
Carrying a slim lead into the fourth quarter, the Emery Spartans were unable to hold off the Union Cougars late in a 52-45 setback Wednesday night in Roosevelt.
Sophomore Luke Justice increased the Emery advantage to 39-34 on the opening possession of the fourth quarter. Emery would score just six more points in the final 7:40 as the Cougars posted 18 points to earn the non-region victory.
The Spartans captured their first lead in the final two minutes of the first quarter and would hold an advantage until the fourth. Emery’s offense struggled to get rolling in each of the first three quarters, giving Union an opportunity to stay withing striking distance.
“We had a struggle coming out to start quarters,” said head coach Dave Justice. “We get into the flow of things and get into our offense, but we’ve got to be better at starting quarters.”
Senior Ryker Jensen scored a team best 10 points as he knocked down three shots from beyond the arc to lead the Spartans. Sophomore guards Wade Stilson and Luke Justice each poured in nine to lead the offensive push.
At times the Emery offense showed flashes of high levels of play, while at other times consistency was halted due to turnovers. Union managed to capitalize on the free possessions in the eventual win.
“It got loud and we kind of made mistakes with not being in the right spots late,” said Justice. “Those live ball turnovers will kill you. We had a few that turned into layups on the other end we have to take care of that.”
Now 1-3 overall on the season, the Spartans have played three of the first four games on the road. That trend will continue on Saturday as the team travels to meet the Uintah Utes.
Throughout the first four games Emery has developed an identity as a defense first team, allowing just 56 points per game. Offensively the highest output so far was a 50 point performance against Juan Diego.
“Our defense has been good and our offense has been good at times,” Justice said when asked about the start of the season. “We’ve had moments, but we have a few too many dry spells. Tonight we got some good looks, but we missed a few close ones. The season is going to be roller coaster, so we’ve got to keep better.”
Dec. 11- Uintah- Loss- 69-51
The Emery Spartans made the trip back over Indian Canyon on Saturday to face the Uintah Utes in Vernal. Last Wednesday, the Spartans were in Roosevelt and lost a tough game to Union. The game Saturday against the Utes started slowly for the Spartans, and the lead the Uintah had was too much to overcome as Emery fell 69-51.
Emery was playing up two classifications as Uintah is in 5A. This is the Utes first year in 5A, last year in 4A they lost in the quarter finals to Ridgeline.
The Spartans started out slow scoring just 13 in the first half to Uintah’s 28. The Spartans had no answer for the Utes Josh Speirs who scored 20 on 8-of-16 shooting and was perfect from the foul line.
Luke Justice led the Spartans with 13, Wade Stilson dropped 12 to go with four rebounds and two assists and Brett Rasmussen added 11 with seven rebounds in the Emery loss.
Dec. 15- American Leadership- Win- 61-55
The Emery Spartans welcomed the American Leadership Eagles. Both teams entered Wednesday night’s game on losing streaks, American Leadership had lost their last five and Emery their last two. In a very close contest that went back and forth all evening the Spartans came out on top 61-55
The Spartans jumped out to an early first quarter lead doubling up the Eagles 16-8. The second quarter belonged to American Leadership however who came back to tie it up and then take the lead with Emery going up 30-27 at half time.
In the second half, Brett Rasmussen who scored 13 in the game, literally brought those house down on a wide open fast break that brought down the basket. Not only did that get the crowd into it, it ignited the Spartans as well finishing off the Eagles and taking the 61-55 victory.
Ryker Jensen lead all scorers with 16 and Luke Justice put up 14 points in the Spartans win.
Emery now has just one game left before the moratorium Dec.22-26. Coach Dave Justice recently spoke with KOAL’s Drive Time Sports and talked about how he and the team will handle it.
” Next week is kind of a unique week, because we decided to go to that tournament, we don’t have any games next week. We’re going to have a couple days of practice, and then we’ll be off for three or four before we go into the break. It’s just trying to keep them mentally focused.”
Friday night they will welcome North Sanpete to the Spartans Center.
Dec. 17- North Sanpete- Loss- 45-44
North Sanpete senior Landon Bowles connected on a driving layup as time expired in regulation to sink the Emery Spartans 45-44 in a thrilling non-region tilt Friday night at the Spartan Center in Castle Dale.
Holding a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the Spartans were unable to hold off a furious comeback by the Hawks. Three crucial misses from the foul line late in the game opened the door for North Sanpete to complete the comeback.
“Credit to Sanpete because they did a great job of putting pressure on our guards and making some tough shots,” said head coach Dave Justice. “We missed a few free throws and had some untimely turnovers. Then, there at the end Bowles did a great job of getting to the rim and making a play.”
Up 44-42 with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Spartans put North Sanpete at the charity stripe. After making the first, the potential game tying free throw missed off the side of the rim. The Hawks corralled the rebound and called timeout, setting up Bowles’ game winning layup.
Defensively the Spartans soared throughout the first three quarters, holding North Sanpete to just 25 points heading into the fourth. The Hawks nearly eclipsed that total in the final eight minutes as they scored 20 to move to 9-1 on the season.
Emery sophomore Luke Justice led the way offensively as he finished with a team-high 13 points, 11 of which came in the first half. Senior Kysen Curtis scored 12 points on an efficient 5-6 shooting performance from the field.
“Our defense was really good tonight, and we got out on the shooters early,” said Justice. “We knew they were going to come out and try to put some pressure on us. They are a great team and sometimes at the end the ball just doesn’t bounce your way.”
Friday’s loss lowers Emery’s overall record to 2-5 as the team heads into the Christmas break. During the first seven games of the season the Spartans have played one of the most challenging schedules in 3A, defeating Juab and American Leadership Academy.
Dec. 28- Millard- Loss- 59-57
The Emery boys basketball team traveled to Cedar City this week to take part in the Steve Hodson Classic at Canyon View High School. Starting on Tuesday and running through Thursday, the Spartans will play three games in as many days and opened play against the Millard Eagles. In a close game that came down to the last minute Millard came away with the two point win 59-57.
Millard plays in the 2A classification and carries a record of 8-4, they also sit at No. 6 in the RPI. With wins on their resume against Delta, Providence Hall and now Emery they have proven that they have no problem playing up a class.
The Eagles jumped out to a 20-14 lead after one and by half time the Spartans had cut that lead to 27-26, thanks in part to Talon Tuttle who found his stroke in the second hitting three from down town to score nine.
Emery came out in the third quarter falling behind by six, 44-38. In the fourth, Emery outscored the Eagles 19-5 and in the last moments it went back and forth coming down to the final minute when Millard pulled away.
Kysen Curtis led the Spartans with 12 points and five rebounds. Curtis has averaged just over eight points per game this season.
Brett Rasmussen scored 12 with eight rebounds and Wade Stilson added nine.
Up next for the Spartans is the Parowan Rams. The Rams hold a 4-4 record and No.8 in the 2A RPI. You would have to go all the way back to Dec. of 2019 for the last time these two met on the court with Parowan taking the 56-49 win.
Dec. 29- Parowan-Loss- 55-48 and Dec. 30- South Sevier- Loss- 64-54
The Emery Spartans are ready to put 2021 in the rear view and look forward to 2022. Ending the calendar year on a three game losing streak, the Spartans ended the Steve Hodson Classic in Cedar City the two loses to the Parowan Rams Wednesday, 55-48 and to the South Sevier Rams on Thursday 64-54.
The game with Parowan on Wednesday was really a tale of two halves. In the first half the the Spartans actually led going into the locker room 18-15 allowing the Rams to score just two points in the second quarter.
The third quarter was where Parowan made their move scoring 24 points and holding Emery to 13, the fourth was close with Emery outscoring the Rams by one but not able to over come the deficit.
Luke Justice scored 19 for the Spartans in the loss.
In the Thursday game with South Sevier Talon Tuttle came off the bench to score 17 including three from three point land but against a tough South Sevier team it just wasn’t enough falling by 10.
The Spartans are now at 2-8 on the season and have just one game remaining with San Juan before they jump into region play. Coach Dave Justice who was a guest on KOAL’s Drive Time Sports talked about the improvement that he has seen since the beginning of the year.
“Our young guards, the first couple of games they were just really learning the speed of the varsity level and the physicality of it, you know it took them a second, but they’re doing a good job of taking care of the ball. The kids are working hard and getting better they’re doing a great job and hopefully we can keep improving and get over the hump here.”
Jan. 4- San Juan- Loss- 62-41
The Emery Spartans were unable to keep pace with the senior heavy San Juan Broncos as the two teams clashed in a non-region affair Tuesday evening at the Spartan Center in Castle Dale.
Faced with a 20-5 deficit at the end of the first quarter, the Spartans played a solid eight minutes of basketball as the entered the break trailing 26-19. The Broncos responded with two dominating quarters to pull away in the second half for a 62-41 win.
“They are a very good team and they’ve playing very well together since they were sophomores,” said head coach Dave Justice. “They just make it difficult on you. I thought the kids gave a tremendous effort, but we just struggled to hit shots.”
Emery had a difficult time finding the rhythm from beyond the three-point line as they shot 2-of-23 from the three point line. Inside the perimeter the Spartans converted on 42-percent of attempts, finishing 13-31.
Wade Stilson posted a team-high 13 points, seven of which came in the second quarter. Fellow sophomore guard Luke Justice also reached double-figures as he posted 12 points. Brett Rasmussen also contributed seven points, converting three field goals, including a first half dunk.
“Wade and Luke being in the backcourt played pretty well tonight, especially on defensive,” Justice said. “We are proud of them and we are excited to see these young kids grow moving forward.”
The Broncos delivered a well balanced offensive attack, led by Cooper Black who finished with a game-high 18 points. Jensen Grover scored seven of his 16 points in the opening quarter, while Ladd Ivins chipped in with 14.
Tuesday’s loss sends Emery to 2-9 on the season and marks the team’s fifth consecutive loss. With one non-region game remaining on the slate before the league opener, the Spartans will welcome in the Manti Templars Friday night to the Spartan Center.
Jan. 7- Manti- Win- 46-43
The Spartans were on their home floor on Friday night to face the No.6 ranked Templars. The Spartans have had some struggles of late but put those behind them and held on to take down the Templars 46-43.
The Templars, who fell two spots in the latest RPI to No.8, after the loss, are now sitting at 7-6.
Spartan coach Dave Justice told us after the game they new exactly what they were going to get from Manti.
“We kind of had that early lead, played well in the first quarter, and then they kind of had a run there. Even when we got up four or five, I was like, ‘Guys they’re not going to give it to you, they’re going to crawl and fight’, Coach Shakespeare, does a fantastic job, they are super well coached and they get after it.”
The Spartans jumped out to a 15-7 lead in the first quarter only to be up 22-20 at the half.
Emery stuck with it though, outscoring the Templars 24-23 in the second half and holding on for the three point lead.
Wade Stilson had a great all-around game for the Spartans scoring 13 with six boards, four assists and three steals. Luke Justice added 12, three assists and two steals as well. Ryker Jensen dropped seven points of his own with three rebounds and three steals in the win.
Up next for the Spartans is a trip to Richfield to face the Wildcats on Wednesday. Richfield, currently holds the No. 14 spot with a 4-8 record. This will be the first region game for both teams as the non-region part of their schedules is now over and they must both get down to conference business the rest of the season.
Emery will be back home on Friday to face Canyon View.
Jan. 12- Richfield- Loss- 37-28
The Emery Spartan boys team traveled to Richfield on Wednesday to face the Wildcats in the region opener for both. Each team struggled all night with clock and scoreboard issues but in the end it was the Wildcats who came away with the 37-28 win.
Richfield sports a 5-8 record and sits in the No. 13 spot in the RPI rankings. The Wildcats have now won four of their last five after hitting a streak of six losses in a row.
On Wednesday, no one told the scoreboards that they had a game that night as they kept malfunctioning and causing stoppage of play until it was somewhat resolved in the second half.
The Wildcats took control in the second quarter of a game that really turned out to be a defensive battle for both squads. Playing even in the third, Emery and Richfield held each other to single digit scoring in the fourth.
Luke Justice led the Spartans with 11 points, six of which came from behind the arc. Ryker Jensen and Kysen Curtis each had six points in the loss.
Emery currently holds a 3-10 record and sit in the No.17 spot in the RPI. Emery is now left with seven games left on the schedule and they are all in Region 12 play.
They will welcome in Canyon View on Saturday to the Spartan Center. This will be the first meeting between the two teams as members of the same region, Canyon View played in the 4A classification last season.
Jan. 15- Canyon View- Win- 54-52
The Emery Spartan boys basketball team had lost six of their last seven, the latest loss coming last Wednesday on the road in Richfield. On Friday night they welcomed in the Canyon View Falcons looking for a win against the 4-11 Falcons. Jumping out early and taking a 10 point lead into the locker room, the Spartans kept pushing and took the 54-52 win to move to 1-1 in region play.
The Spartans have been trying to put it together this season under first year head coach Dave Justice. With just two seniors on the team this is a young bunch that will pay dividends in the coming years as most of the starting line-up is underclassmen.
The Spartans doubled up the Falcons 14-7 in quarter number one pushing the lead to 27-17 by the end of the first half of play.
In the second half the Spartans came out putting up two points and then went cold until the 4:17 mark of the third quarter when Brett Rasmussen hit a layup that took the lid off the basket for the Spartans as they scored 13 in the remainder of the quarter. The fourth quarter belonged to Canyon View as they outscored Emery 20-10, and a missed three pointer by the Falcon’s Xavier Kadous at the buzzer ended the rally.
Wade Stilson scored 17 for the Spartans in the win along with eight assists, five steals and four rebounds. Luke Justice added 14 and Rasmussen dropped 12 and grabbed seven boards.
The next game on the schedule is a fun one, Carbon. This will be the first meeting between the two teams this season in Price on Friday.
Jan. 21- Carbon- Loss- 49-48
An instant classic ended in Carbon’s favor as they topped the Emery Spartans 49-48 in a Region 12 thriller Friday night at Carbon High School.
Trailing at the end of each of the first three quarters, the Dinos rallied in the fourth to hold off a determined Emery effort.
Carbon held a 49-45 lead in the closing seconds, but Emery senior Ryker Jensen banked in a three-point shot from 30-feet out with less than five seconds remaining. An inadvertent whistle from the officials, mixed with the Carbon student-section storming the court, caused a referee conference. The officials placed one second on the clock and gave Carbon the basketball. A down court lob was enough to run out the clock and preserve the win for the Dinos.
“They rushed the court and there was still time on the clock. The way it was explained to me was, yes it is against the rules, but they thought the game was over,” said Emery head coach Dave Justice. “So the referees decided to replay the situation. As an Emery or a Carbon fan, I get it both ways. That’s how they explained it to me and that was the end of the game. It was a great effort from both teams and a really fun game to be apart of.”
The confusion, and somewhat controversial ending, did not diminish the brilliant effort from both sides. While both teams swapped leads throughout, neither was able to establish much of a cushion. The competitive contest added to the electric atmosphere of the standing room only crowd that filled the Carbon gym.
Carbon’s perimeter scoring proved to be the difference in the fourth quarter. Over the final eight minutes the Dinos outscored the Spartans 15-12 to earn the monumental region win.
“In this type of game you hope to get an eight to 12 point lead and that is when you put your foot on their throat, and we couldn’t get there,” said Carbon head coach Jared Butler. “There were turnovers, missed looks and they would capitalize. They were fantastic tonight and we feel fortunate for sure.”
Jackson Griffeth led the Dinos with 17 points as he connected on three shots from beyond the arc. Fellow senior Jordan Fossat also knocked down three shots from the perimeter as he scored 13 points. As a team the Dinos finished 8-24 from deep.
Chet Anderson helped guide the Carbon offense at key times during the game as he posted seven points. Rylan Hart chipped in with six points and five rebounds, while Braxton Stevenson recorded a team high seven boards.
Defensively the Dinos forced 22 Emery turnovers, giving them a plus-nine edge in the key category.
Emery junior Brett Rasmussen delivered perhaps his most solid outing of the season as he scored a team best 13 points to go along with 15 rebounds for the game’s lone double-double. Seven of his 15 boards came on the offensive glass.
The Spartans were efficient from inside the three-point line as they connected on 17 of 30 attempts from two-point range. Emery also converted four shots from deep in 12 attempts.
Ryker Jensen scored all nine of his points from the three-point line, while Luke Justice used his ability to get to the basket and score eight. Wade Stilson stuffed the stat sheet with six points, seven assists and four steals.
Jan. 26- Grand- Win- 59-39
With the basketball regular season coming to a close the Spartans welcomed in the Grand County Red Devils on Wednesday evening. The game with Grand marked the end of the first go around of region play and when the dust settled the Spartans would have a 2-2 record in conference play with a 59-39 victory.
Grand holds the No. 19 spot in the RPI with a 5-13 record and an 0-4 mark in region play. The Red Devils have struggled lately winning just two out of their last six.
The Spartans were all business with Luke Justice leading the charge with 16 points, Justice is averaging 11 points in 16 games this season. Emery jumped out to a five point lead at half time 24-19.
In the second half, Emery knew that the win was within their reach, using a big fourth quarter, out scoring the Red Devils 20-9 and walking away with a 20 point victory.
Kysen Curtis scored in double figures for the Spartans with 14 and Wade Stilson added 9 in the win for Emery.
The Spartans now start the second half of the region schedule, with region contests with Richfield, Canyon View, Grand again and will end the season in the Spartan Center on February 11 with Carbon.
First up is Richfield this Friday night. Two weeks ago, Emery faced the Wildcats on the road losing 37-28. Richfield has had their struggles of late losing back to back games to Carbon and Canyon View.
Jan. 28- Richfield- Loss- 49-45
The Emery Spartans were home Friday night as they welcomed the Richfield Wildcats to the Spartan Center. This was the second meeting between the two teams that seem to know each other so well. Emery jumped out in this one early, but unfortunately couldn’t hang on, losing the contest 49-45.
Back on Jan. 12 the Spartans traveled to Richfield and lost 37-28, in the game on Friday, Emery had scored 25 by the half taking a 25-19 lead to the locker room. In fact, Emery held a 21-19 advantage in the second quarter and they held the lead until the 2:37 mark in the fourth quarter.
In the fourth the Wildcats outscored the Spartans 19-16 and held the lead in the final minutes of the game as Emery had to turn to fouls in an attempt to get the ball back.
Luke Justice led Emery with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals, right behind him with 11 and three rebounds was Kysen Curtis. Wade Stilson added seven with two rebounds, five assists, and two steals and Brett Rasmussen pulled down eight boards in the loss for the Spartans.
The Spartans now hold a 5-12 overall record, 2-3 in Region 12 play with just three games left on their schedule until playoff time, a road contest on Friday, with No.16 Canyon View this week is the only game on the schedule. They will then have another road game next week against Grand before they wrap up the season on Friday, Feb. 11 at home against Carbon.
This Friday’s game with Canyon View will be the second time these two have faced each other this season. On Jan. 15, Canyon View, coming off a win the night before over Carbon, lost to the Spartans 54-52.
Feb. 4- Canyon View- Loss- 61-52
Emery boys basketball traveled to Cedar City on Friday to face the Canyon View Falcons. The Falcons joined the 3A ranks at the beginning of the school year dropping back from 4A, and have made some noise in Region 12 this year currently sitting in the top spot in conference play. Jumping out to a quick lead against the Spartans, the Falcons were able stay just ahead of them all game taking a 61-52 win.
The Falcons ended their time in 4A last season with a loss to Tooele in the opening round of the state tournament, this season they have a 5-1 region record, 8-12 overall and have been led by Junior Andrew Barnes, who has been averaging just under 15 per game.
Canyon View would jump out to a 17-9 lead in the first quarter and continue to build on it, the Spartans would put together a small run and cut the Falcon lead to five.
In the second half, the Spartans kept it close in the early going of quarter three tying it up at 28, and would continue to go back and forth throughout but would be down by four at the end of the third. In the fourth Canyon View put up 17 in the quarter taking the nine point win.
Wade Stilson led the Spartans with 20 points grabbing seven rebounds while dishing out three assists and collected one steal. Stilson is scoring 9.5 points per game this season.
Ryker Jensen added 12 on four-of-nine shooting from behind the three point line. Luke Justice would chip in nine points with two rebounds, one assist and three steals. Emery shot 36% from the field and 64% from the free throw line.
The Spartans sit at 5-13 overall and 2-4 in Region 12 play with two games left in the regular season, which will come to an end this week.
Feb. 9- Grand- Win- 90-52
The Emery Spartans scored early and often en route to a 90-52 win over the Grand Red Devils Wednesday night in Moab.
The Spartans pushed the tempo offensively, delivering its highest scoring output of the season. As a team Emery combined for 23 assists, which also ended as a season high total.
“It was fun to see the ball go through the hoop for the guys,” said head coach Dave Justice following the game. “It was a great win and a great team effort. The kids came out and played outstanding all together. The defense led to offense and it was fun to see it come together.”
Sophomore Luke Justice led the offensive explosion as he poured in a team-high 17 points to lead six Emery players in double-figures. Getting out in transition, Justice was able to dissect the Grand the defense and attack the basket at will.
Brett Rasmussen overcame early foul trouble to score 14 points, while pulling down a game-high in rebounds. Kysen Curtis dropped 13 points, while Wade Stilson and Ryker Jensen both finished with 12. Talon Tuttle reached double-figures for the first time this season as he scored 11 off the bench.
“One of the things we really wanted to focus on tonight was early offense and getting the guards out in front,” said Justice. “We also wanted to establish Brett (Rasmussen) early. I thought he played outstanding and fought through some early foul trouble.”
Emery never trailed in Wednesday’s lopsided victory as they started the game on a 4-0 run. Scoring 21 or more points in each of the four quarters, the Red Devils were constantly looking for answers.
Despite the loss Grand received a solid effort from center Lane Berry, who finished with a game best 18 points. Brett Reed scored nine and Jason McKinney chipped in with eight.
Wednesday’s win moves Emery to 3-4 in Region 12 play and gives the team a season series sweep of the Red Devils. With only one regular season game remaining on the schedule, the Spartans will attempt to climb in the RPI to host an opening round playoff game.
Feb. 11- Carbon- Loss- 56-49
The regular season came to an end for the Carbon Dinos and Emery Spartan basketball teams on “Senior Night”, Friday in the Spartan Center. These two teams both started their long march to the playoffs back in November. Jumping out in the first quarter and behind 17 points from Rylan Hart, the Dinos took one from the Spartans 56-49.
It was Senior Night for Emery as they said goodbye to two players, Kysen Curtis and Ryker Jensen. Curtis has averaged just under eight points this season and five rebounds. Jensen scored just under seven and gathered just under four boards.
Braxton Stevenson added 15, Chet Anderson nine and Jordan Fossat, eight for Carbon as they wrapped up the season with a sweep of the Spartans this year. The Dinos jumped out in the first quarter taking a 14-7 lead they would hold the lead at seven headed into the locker room at half time 23-6.
Carbon entered the third quarter putting up 18 and Emery would hang with them bucket for bucket as they scored 17 in the quarter, they then followed up in the final quarter outscoring the Dinos by one, but the Spartans couldn’t get over the hump as the Dinos had an answer for everything Emery tried.
Wade Stilson of Emery led all scorers with 20 in the contest. Brett Rasmussen added 14 and Luke Justice six for the Spartans.
Now both teams look to Feb. 16 when they will begin the 2022 playoffs. Carbon will be at home after ending the season in the No. 14 spot and Emery will head out on the road after landing in No. 17.
Emery will take on the No. 16 Providence Hall Patriots. These two teams didn’t face off in the regular season, in fact you have to go back to February 20 of 2016 when these two tangled in the first round of the playoffs with Emery coming away with a 69-53 win.
State Playoffs-
Feb. 16- Providence Hall- Win- 71-64 (OT)
The Emery Spartans ended the season in the No. 17 spot in the RPI, which meant they had to go on the road for the opening round of the state playoffs which began Wednesday night, against the No. 16 Providence Hall Patriots. Needing to take it in to overtime, the Spartans outscored their opponent 13-6 in the extra period to take the 71-64 win and advance to take on the No. 1 ranked Layton Christian Eagles Saturday.
The Spartans ended the regular season with just six wins but with the start of the playoffs all records can go out the window and everyone starts at 0-0.
This contest was destined to go to overtime when you look at the individual quarters. Providence Hall came out in the first quarter scoring 20 and held Emery to 16. In the second, the Patriots added another 11 and would take a 31-24 lead into the locker room at half time.
In the second half, Emery dominated and made their move in the third quarter putting up 21 and holding Providence Hall to 8 which allowed the Spartans to take a five point lead into final eight minutes of regulation.
In quarter number four the Patriots found urgency outscoring the Spartans by five to tie up the game and extend their season into the overtime period. In the extra time both teams would go back and forth and it was not until about the :32 second mark that the Spartans could breathe a little and feel that victory was theirs.
Wade Stilson led the way for the Spartans scoring 21 including the first bucket of the overtime that would put Emery up for good. Brett Rasmussen added 20 and Luke Justice 15 in the huge post-season win.
For the Patriots Bryson Baker had 13, McKay Stein added 12 and Bennett Norris 11 in the loss that ended Providence Hall’s season.
Feb. 19- Layton Christian- Loss- 84-53
Saturday afternoon the Emery Spartans were on the road in Layton to take on the No. 1 ranked Layton Christian Academy Eagles. Emery kept it close for the first quarter, but the Eagles turned it on and claimed an 84-53 win, ending the Spartans season.
Emery earned another playoff game after a road win against Providence Hall on Wednesday night in overtime 71-64.
The first quarter, both teams were just sizing each other up, with Emery staying within striking distance at 16-14. The second quarter Layton Christian turned on the offense outscoring the Spartans 22-8, taking a 38-22 lead into the locker room.
Moving into the third, the Eagles kept pushing forward building on their lead, by the end of three, Layton Christian had increased their advantage 62-36, and carried it in to the fourth and final quarter, bringing an end to Emery’s season.
Brett Rasmussen and Kysen Curtis each scored 11 in the contest and Luke Justice put up 10.
For Layton Christian Academy, Tyrese Lacey scored a game high 17 while Isaac Cubero added 16 and Souleymane Barro had 12.