A late fourth quarter rally fell just short as the Emery Spartans suffered its first loss of the season Wednesday against the South Summit Wildcats in Kamas.

Trailing by 12 entering the fourth quarter, the Spartans fought back to tie the game 54-54 with three minutes remaining in regulation. South Summit answered with a run of their own to close out the game and earn a 64-57 victory.

“We had a rough stretch at the beginning of the third quarter. They put the lead up to ten and we struggled to score,” said head coach Dave Justice following the loss. “We fought back, tied it up late. We missed a couple of free throws and had a few shots roll out. Sometimes that’s just the way the ball bounces.”

Despite the loss Luke Justice provided a powerful punch for the Emery offense as he produced a game-high 23 points. Talon Tuttle and Wade Stilson both reached double-figures as they finished with 10 points each.

South Summit sophomore Logan Woolstenhume led the Wildcats as he posted 18 points off the bench. Starting guard Alex Atkinson finished with 11 and Mitchell Gempeler added 10.

The Spartans started fast on both sides of the ball, racing out to an early 12-2 lead in the first quarter. South Summit responded with a 12-3 run to end the period, chopping the Emery advantage to one point. The Wildcats took the lead early in the second quarter and never let it go.

“The boys always work hard, and I give them a lot of credit,” said Justice. “They forced some turnovers, played hard on defense and that got us back into the game. I think when you play in these games where it’s a close in the final few minutes it’s a good experience and that is what we’ll take from tonight.”

Wednesday’s loss dips Emery’s overall record to 3-1. The team will take the rest of the week off before returning to the court next Wednesday on the road against Millard. The next home contest is set for Friday, Dec. 9 against Union.