The Emery Spartan boy’s basketball squad found themselves on the road in Richfield to face the Wildcats. The Spartans were riding a five-game win streak before the road trip. Richfield jumped out quickly in the first quarter and never really looked back taking a 54-33 win, handing Emery their ninth loss overall a third in Region 12 play.
Richfield is one of the top teams in 3A holding the No. 2 spot in the latest RPI. After the loss, the Spartans sit at 9-9 overall and 6-3 in region play and they currently sit at No. 7.
Richfield used a big first quarter to put some distance between them and the Spartans whereas Emery couldn’t get the ball to drop Richfield had no problem seemingly scoring at will. The Spartans had a drought in the first quarter of almost five minutes and the only thing that broke it was a pair of free throws from Scott Johansenas the quarter ended with Richfield on top 22-6. Withstanding the first-quarter barrage from Richfield, things would quiet down in the second with Emery coming up with 10 in the quarter and they held Richfield to nine in the quarter but the Wildcats would still take a sizeable 31-16 lead to the locker room at halftime.
The third quarter was exactly what we expect from an Emery Richfield match-up, it was played very tight. Back-and-forth they fought, but the Spartans couldn’t overcome the lead the Wildcats had built and the two teams headed to the fourth with Richfield still on top 41-26. In the final quarter, Emery scored just five points and was scoreless for the last two minutes allowing the Wildcats to close out the contest taking the 54-33 win.
After the game, Coach Dave Justice talked with KOAL’s Jordan Buscarini about moving on from the loss and getting ready for the remainder of the regular season.
“Anytime you go on the road in region it’s going to be tough, it was a tough atmosphere tonight, it was a tough game, and hopefully we can learn from this, and learn the kind of game that we can play and just come out better Friday night against Manti.”
Scot Johansen led the Spartans with 19 in the game, West Johansen added 12 and Jace Frandsen scored two in the loss.
Emery will go back on the road on Friday when they travel to Manti to face the Templars. Manti sits at 4-12 overall and holds a 2-7 mark in region play. Back in December, the two teams met up at the Spartan Center with Emery taking a 61-55 win.
Coverage of Friday’s game at Manti begins with the Landon’s Diesel Service Pre-game Show at 6:30, tip-off at 7:00. Audio is available on KOAL 107.3 FM or 750 AM, as well as castlecountryradio.com and the Castle Country Radio app. Video will be available on our YouTube channel- Castle Country Sports- Emery