Emery played at home once again as the Richfield Wildcats came to town to play an important game for region standings against the Spartans. The Wildcats came in with an 8-4 record and 1-0 in region play after beating out Grand.
The undefeated sophomores played a tough game which ended up being their closest game of the season against the Richfield sophomore team who were also undefeated until Emery pulled out the win 36-33. It was the first game of the season the sophomore team was held under 40 points and they appeared sluggish throughout the game partially thanks to the Wildcats tough defense. В It was a tight game most of the time with each team trading leads. Turnovers plagued the Spartans in the first half where they had 12 but were able to clean it up in the second. Richfield came back from an Emery lead late in the third and got up 29-30 until two straight steals to layups by Tyson Roper and then Ridge Nielson sealed the win for the Spartans. Tyson Roper is the MVP of the game and played well, long shooting 70% while scoring 18 and hitting a season high 3 three pointers. Roper also got four steals. Ridge Nielson played well too dropping 8 dimes and scoring 6 points. This was a good game for the sophomores who still won against a good team without playing their best game.
Emery’s JV team started out with a quick two-point lead due to a technical dunking foul on Richfield that allowed Otis Addison to go to the line and give them a jump-start. This game also proved to be a close one with the teams trading leads and forcing ties. Emery held a one point after the first quarter, Richfield held a two point lead heading into halftime, and it was tied after three quarters. The Spartans rose to the occasion in the fourth and made a 10-0 run to go up 45-35. Richfield got within 6 due to getting offensive rebounds but Ridge Nielson clinched the game with a three point play. What helped the Spartans was their ability to force the Wildcats into turnovers and get out in the open floor. They also did well in the paint with both Drexler Tanner and Gavin McDermott having good games. Drexler had six points and eight rebounds and McDermott had nine points and eight boards.  Otis Addison scored the most points with 13 and again started strong in the first half with 9 of his 13. Emery looked good in a close game and showed their ability to close out games in the fourth quarter.
The varsity team was faced with a big matchup against Richfield that the Spartans really needed to win to get to the top of the region. Emery pulled through earning the win 55-47. The key for Emery was getting Richfield into foul trouble early in the second half making shots from the free throw line where they were 23 for 28 and 20 for 21 at one time. В The game started out close but the Wildcats pulled away towards the end leading 12-6 at the end of the first while Emery struggled shooting where they were just three for 12 from the field. In the second it was a highly competitive game and Emery forced steals to lead 13-12 and by the end of the quarter it was knotted up at 19. The trend continued in the third but in the fourth Emery hit two threes in a row to lead 41-36. Dillon Wilstead got two straight steals after that to break it open. Emery then hit their free throws toward the end of the game to clinch it. Wilstead went to the line ten times and made ten free throws, a perfect 100%. He would finish with 16 points. Bay Faimalo had eight assists and 10 points and really led the charge for the Spartans not letting them get down after losing by six in the first half. Dawson Jensen also played well down low for Emery scoring nine and grabbing eight rebounds. This game was an important win for Emery and they look to continue their streak against Grand on Saturday the 12th.
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