The Lady Spartans had their first tournament this season over the weekend, traveling to Vernal to play three games in three days. They ended up going 1-2, losing to a pair of undefeated squads.
First, they played the hometown Uintah Utes and cruised to a 66-44 victory. The Lady Spartans controlled a steady lead for the entire game. Katelyn Nielson was the scoring leader with 15 to go alone with seven boards. Kennadie Maughan had a nice game with 11 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Aliya Lester stole the ball away five times for the game, adding on 10 points. Kali Jensen had a team high three assists to go with eight points, four rebounds and a steal. Karleigh Stilson was aggressive on defense with four steals and eight points.
Next up, the Lady Spartans played the undefeated Fruita Monument Wildcats. Emery led the game going into the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats clawed their way out, stealing the game 51-45. Nielson was once again the scoring leader with 17 points. She completed a double-double with 13 rebounds as well. Maughan scored nine, with a couple more blocks, while Jensen had two more steals and seven points. Lester finished with eight points.
For their last game of the weekend, Emery played a tough 4-0 Wasatch Wasp team. The Lady Spartans held their own until the fourth quarter, where they couldn’t handle the relentless Wasp offense. Lester scored a solid 22 points with a 83% shooting percentage, while Maughan and Nielson both had 11 points for the game. There was only one steal and no blocks for the Lady Spartans in this last game, showing how the Wasps were protecting the ball and playing smart, making it a tough game.
The tournament moves the Lady Spartans to 4-2 on the season. Next up for the Black and Gold will be a home game on Thursday against the 1-6 Union Cougars. The game will be streamed online at etvnews.com/livesports at 7 p.m.