ETV News Stock Photo by Dusty Butler
Emery opened its season on the road against American Leadership Academy (ALA) on Friday night. The Spartans went on a big run to close out the first quarter and take a 16-6 lead. They scored 11 unanswered points extending into the second quarter before the Eagles could stop the bleeding. Emery took a 35-21 lead into half.
ALA began the second half with an 11-2 run to pull within five, 37-32. Brax Jensen then found Jordan Ekker on the wing, who buried a three and extended the Spartan lead back to seven. The Eagles outscored Emery in the third quarter 14-7 to make it 42-35.
The fourth quarter was a battle as the Spartans continuously had to fight off the Eagle attack. ALA cut it all the way down to two, 45-43, a few minutes into the fourth. Emery had an answer and responded by going on a 10-2 run, regaining its double-digit lead. The Eagles would not go away, though, and pulled within four late in the quarter, 57-53. The Spartans were able to run out the clock and take the match 58-53.
The athletic guard combination of Jensen and Ekker was dominant. The duo combined for 33 points, 13 assists and nine steals. Ekker had a career-high 19-points and went 4-8 from three. Jensen followed with 14 points and had a team-high 10 assists and six steals. Kyler Wilstead had a big night and also recorded a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Justin Rasmussen led the Spartans with 12 rebounds.
The Spartans shot 46 percent from the field but only 25 percent from three. They held ALA to 38 percent shooting on the night and 24 percent from beyond the arc.
Emery both showed moments of greatness and struggle at times. The Spartans forced 14 steals but turned over the ball 18 times. It was a typical contest for a season opener; there was a lot to like and a lot of areas to improve. Emery knows it will need to cut down its turnovers but was happy with the players’ response to ALA’s late run. In the end, the Spartans did enough to grab the victory and will look to build off of their performance.
Emery’s (1-0) home opener will be on Tuesday, Nov. 26 against American Heritage (2-0). The game will be broadcast online at etvnews.com.