The 3A girls’ basketball state champion was decided on Saturday evening when #2 Emery and #8 Morgan met on the court. The Lady Spartans were ready to go and erupted off to a quick 6-0 start. Emery extended its lead to 13-1 before the Lady Trojans settled in.
Baylee Jacobson again was money from beyond the arc, making two threes in the first quarter and finishing the night with 4-9 from three. Emery took advantage of its good jump to lead 29-20 at the half.
The Lady Trojans came out a different team in the second half and ripped off a 10-2 run to get right back in the game. Morgan turned to the full court press, forcing Emery turnovers. The Spartans struggled to settle in and only scored five points in the third quarter. It was a brand new game as the Trojans closed the gap to trial only by one, 34-33, with one quarter left to play.
To begin the final period, Elena Birkeland knocked down a momentum-changing three to give Morgan its first lead. Tambrie Tuttle immediately answered back with a three-point play of her own. The teams traded blows down the stretch as there were nine lead changes and four ties in the final quarter.
Down by four, Jacobson connected on one of her threes to make it 47-46. The Trojans immediately answered back, going back up by three. The score remained 49-46 when Jacobson jumped the inbound pass and was fouled. She went one for two at the line, making it a two-point game.
Morgan followed suit, converting one of two from the charity stripe, breathing life back into the Spartans. Emery got off a three-point shot with under 10 seconds left, but it came up short. The #8 Morgan Trojans surprised all of 3A and completed their state tournament run by claiming the state title.
Jacobson had a game-high 20 points. Tambrie Tuttle added 14 points while Tatum Tanner finished with 10 points. All 5’3″ of Bethany Justice led the Spartans with 10 rebounds.
Emery finished the year second in the state and a 16-5 record.
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- Photos by Dusty Butler
