The Emery Spartan boys had a rare opportunity on Saturday, to walk away from the season with a win. That was going to be a tall order as they had to take on the Manti Templars. Emery came out putting the first four points on the board, and then the Templars went on a 25-4 run in the first half, the Spartans would battle back but came up just short 78-72.
The Spartans started post-season play at home earning a 61-35 win over Summit Academy, which earned them a spot in the quarterfinals against No. 10 Judge Memorial, falling to the Bulldogs 69-63, and dropping into the consolation bracket. The opening game of consolation play was against the Union Cougars, a 73-55 win for the Spartans. Which takes us to Saturday and the Templars.
Emery came out and scored the first four points in the game but then went ice cold, as Manti would go on a 25-4 run through the first half ending with a 31-20 lead heading to the locker room at halftime.
In the third quarter, Emery came out and matched the Templars intensity and their point total, as Emery trailed 54-34 and then went on a run. The Spartans carried their momentum into the fourth quarter. Emery shot 67% from the field in the second half and tried to overcome a huge disparity from the foul line and even though they cut into the Templar lead in fourth outscoring them 29-24, Emery couldn’t complete the comeback falling 78-72 ending their season.
The seniors were front and center as Zack Tuttle scored a game high 25 points with five rebounds, one assist and three steals. Luke Justice added 19 with four boards, a pair of assists and a pair of steals. Mason Stilson had 13 with three assists, one steal and a rebound. Wade Stilson put up 9 points, six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals, Creek Sharp had six, three assits and a pair of steals, and Matt Olsen had a rebound and a steal.
This brings an end to the Spartans 2023-2024 season as they end with a 20-7 overall record and earned the No. 2 spot in the final RPI.
Tune in to KOAL’s Drive Time Sports on 107.3 FM or 750 AM for the season ending wrap-up report and an interview with Coach Dave Justice in the coming week.