Lady Spartan basketball started play in the Shannon Johnson Classic on Thursday evening as they met up with host team Uintah. The Utes are a team that plays in the 5A class, and they battled back-and-forth with Emery who eventually fell to Uintah by one, 48-47.

The Lady Spartans have made the journey to the Uintah Basin the last couple of years for this tournament, that draws in teams from across the state. This weekend, Emery will play teams from Wasatch, Manti and Viewmont.

Emery tangled with Uintah last season in Castle Dale earning a 57-38 win. This contest would be much closer with a different outcome.

As the final score would indicate the entire game was play tight, with the Utes outscoring the Spartans by one in the first quarter. The middle quarters belonged to Emery as they returned the favor winning each one 13-12.

The final quarter was was an offensive struggle for both teams, but Uintah found just the edge that they needed and used it to propel them to the one point victory.

For the Utes Kyrsten Blake led all scorers with 20 points, Yordi Woodford ended with 13 and McKenzie White had nine.

The Spartans were led by Brielle Rowley with 14, Katelyn Nelson had 12 and Makaila Peacock scored nine.

Emery finishes out the weekend with a game on Friday night against Wasatch, another 5A school from Heber City. Tomorrow they will have two games, at 10:30 they will face a familiar foe, when they jump it up against Manti and then in the afternoon at 1:30 they face Viewmont, a 5A team from Bountiful.

They will return to the friendly confines of the Spartan Center next Thursday when they take on South Sevier.