A dominating third quarter by the Emery Spartans Friday night propelled the undefeated team to another victory, taking the Region 15 opener 62-52 against the visiting Manti Templars.
Koby and Kolton Butler combined for 30 points and led four players in double figures. Koby had 18 to lead the team, Kolton added 12, and Zac Jorgensen and Bowdie Jacobson each chipped in 11.
The Spartans jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead in the first quarter before Manti tied it up a short while later. Emery led 11-10 after one.
After Manti took the 12-11 lead to open the second, its only lead of the game, Emery ripped off 10 straight to squirt out to a comfortable lead. Emery’s first 10-point lead came at the 1:16 mark on a Kolton Butler bucket. Two more free throws by Kolton gave the Spartans a commanding 27-15 lead with under a minute to play before the Templars made two threes in the waning seconds of the half to keep the game close, 27-21, going into the break.
Emery led by as many as 19 in the third on multiple Koby Butler buckets. Back-to-back threes by Jorgensen and Easton Gordon with under a minute left in the period had the Spartans well ahead entering the fourth and final quarter.
The lead ballooned to 20, 50-30, after a Koby Butler basket, but Manti outscored the Spartans 22-10 the rest of the way to keep the final score respectable.
Emery (11-0, 1-0 Region 15) will take its unblemished record the short distance to Price on Saturday for a matchup with cross-county rival Carbon (6-7, 0-0 Region 12) at 7 p.m. The Spartans beat the Dinos 54-48 in Castle Dale on Dec. 17.
Watch highlights of the game below:
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