The Emery Spartan boys basketball team welcomed the Richfield Wildcats to the Spartan Center on Wednesday evening. The contest was a clash between two teams that know each other well. No matter the sport, when these schools meet, get ready for fireworks. In this non-region tilt, the Wildcats opened big and closed big. They handed Emery a 71-44 loss.

Emery sits at 7-4 as they prepare to close out the preseason and ready themselves for Region 13 play. For the last few seasons, the Spartans and the Wildcats have shared Region 12, but with realignment, Emery was reassigned to Region 13.

In the first quarter, the Spartans opened up an 11-5 lead with four minutes left. Richfield then took over, going on a 21-5 run to end the period and take a 26-16 advantage after one. In the second quarter, both teams played evenly, each scoring 14 points, so the Wildcats maintained their 10-point lead, 40-30, heading into halftime.

The second half didn’t have the scoring barrage of the first quarter. As the third quarter ended, Richfield did just enough to outscore Emery and extended its lead to 50-37 heading into the final eight minutes. In the final quarter, Richfield regained its stroke and went on a 21-7 run to close out the contest, handing the Spartans the 71-44 loss.

Brek Griffin led the Spartans with 15 points. Porter Sitterud added 14, and Ajay Thomas scored 7 in the loss.

Emery will now head to Snow College on Friday to face the American Heritage Patriots, as part of the Coach Shakespeare Classic.