Looking to build off a rivalry win against the Carbon Dinos, the Emery Spartans made the trip to Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, Feb. 5 to face the North Sanpete Hawks. In a contest that came down to the wire, a pair of clutch free throws from Scott Johansen would seal the deal as Emery left victorious 57-52.
Emery would continue their season-long dominance in the painted area as they scored the opening basket of the game courtesy of Scott Johansen. However, Hawks senior Ridge Hendry would answer immediately to tie the game back up. This theme would continue throughout the first as the Spartans were able to narrowly win the frame 16-14.
Neither squad would back down in the second, as North Sanpete would outscore the Spartans 16-14 to knot the game up at 30 apiece headed into the break. Sophomore Ajay Thomas would be a key contributor in the first half for Emery as he scored six points. The only player ahead of him was West Johansen whose performance in the paint led him to finish the half with 12 points.
Entering the third it was again the Spartans winning the battle of wills against the Hawks, holding North Sanpete to 10 points in the period as they scored 13. Seniors Scott Johansen and Jace Frandsen would find an offensive rhythm as Emery went into the fourth quarter with a 43-40 advantage.
Looking to spoil senior night for the Hawks, the Spartans would again win the scoring battle against North Sanpete. Up 55-52 with 13 seconds remaining in the contest, Emery’s defense would force a stop, resulting in an intentional foul that sent Scott Johansen to the charity stripe. The senior would sink both shots and as the final buzzer sounded, Emery walked away with a 57-52 region victory.
Scoring for the Spartans was led by Frandsen and West Johansen who each contributed 12 points. Scott Johansen put up 11 and Will Jeffs and Thomas each added 10.
Emery improves their record to 11-11 overall and 8-5 in region play with the win. The Spartans now return home for one last time during the regular season as they welcome the Juab Wasps (16-6, 9-4 Region 12) to the Spartan Center on Friday, Feb. 7. Juab is coming off a 74-66 win over the Manti Templars.
Live play-by-play action will start on KOAL 107.3 FM and 750 AM starting at 6:30 p.m. with the Landon’s Diesel Service Pregame show with tipoff to follow at 7 p.m. A video stream of the game can also be viewed on Castle Country Sports-Emery.