After a long road trip, Emery returned to the Spartan Center on Wednesday night to host American Leadership Academy (ALA). It is no secret that turnovers have hurt the Spartans this year and that continued against ALA. Their first three possessions all ended in turnovers before the Spartans were able to settle down. Brett Rasmussen then went to work in the opening period and scored nine points as Emery grabbed a 16-8 lead.
The Eagles battled back with their full court pressure, forcing steals and creating Spartan miscues. ALA compiled 19 points in the quarter off of eight Emery turnovers to cut it to three, 30-27, at the break. The Spartans then put their best play together on both ends of the court. Emery took care of the ball with just two turnovers in the period, which accelerated the attack and led to 20 points.
On the defensive side, the Spartans played tough and held to the Eagles to just nine points. Ryker Jensen tallied 10 of those 20 third-quarter points, demonstrating his senior leadership when Emery needed it most.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, the 14-point advantage did not keep the Eagles from making it a game down the stretch. Emery once more struggled to take care of the ball and turned it over another nine times in the fourth to bring their total to 24 on the night. ALA came within a couple scores, but Emery made enough free throws to overcome its up-and-down performance and win 61-55.
Jensen scored a game-high 16 points followed by Luke Justice with 14 and Rasmussen with 13. The most exciting play of the night came when Rasmussen went on a fast break and literally brought down the hoop with his slam dunk.
On Friday, the Spartans (2-4) will be back home to face a talented North Sanpete team (8-1).
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- Photos by Dusty Butler
