ETV News stock photo by Dusty Butler
On the penultimate day of 2020, Emery embarked on a trip to Manti to take on the reigning state champions. The Templars wasted no time showing Emery what they were made of and quickly jumped out to a 21-12 lead.
The Spartans did not hang their heads, however. They battled their way back in the second quarter with 22 points of their own. Their effort nearly completely erased the early deficit, although Manti held a slight 35-34 lead at the half.
Emery kept the pedal to the metal in the third quarter, but Manti followed suit. The teams traded points in the quarter, each tallying 21 to make it 54-53 going into the final eight minutes. The Spartans seemingly ran out of gas down the stretch as Manti began to pull away. Turnovers again plagued Emery in the final quarter, and the Templars went on to win the contest 77-66.
Other than the 19 turnovers on the night, Emery had a good showing. The team shot 48 percent from the field, led by Treven Brazier with 15 points. Beau Cook and Riggs Griffin were efficient as well as they each added 14 points.
Jax Madsen had eight of the team’s 19 assists as the Spartans distributed the ball well. Brett Rasmussen had a great game on the boards as he finished with nine rebounds, seven of which were offensive.
The Spartans have proved they can play with teams, but they have struggled to do so for the complete game. Head coach Jeff Cisneros has already commented on this issue, saying that his team needs to learn how to play four full quarters.
Hopefully, the Spartans can turn the page quickly as the region schedule is upon us. Emery (2-5) will face Richfield (4-5) on Friday night in the Spartan Center. The region opener will be streamed on ETV Channel 10 and online at etvnews.com/livesports.