The Emery Spartans played against the Union Cougars on Friday afternoon. The boys’ looked to bounce back after the devastating loss the day before against Judge Memorial.
Both teams kept it close in the first quarter, each scoring 12 points as the first quarter came to an end. In the beginning of the second, Emery found their stride as Wade Stilson started off the Spartan scoring with a nice drive inside for two.
Zack Tuttle then found Matt Olsen down low for the assisted score. Followed by Stilson getting the generous bounce on a mid-range jumper. Luke Justice would join in on the scoring with a nice euro-step inside for the basket. Mason Stilson then found Tuttle down low for another score for the Spartans.
Tuttle would return the favor to Stilson, giving him an assisted layup under the basket. As the clock ran down in the first half, Jace Frandsen nailed the shot from three-point range, with only two seconds remaining on the clock. The half would come to an end with a score of 32-21, in favor of Emery.
After outscoring the Cougars by eleven in the second quarter, Union wasn’t ready to call it quits. Both teams would put up 23 points in the third quarter, bringing the score to 55-44.
In the first minute of the fourth, Tuttle would start the scoring off with a nice jumper from the free throw line. Wade Stilson then scored the next four for the Spartans, showing his dominance in the paint. Creek Sharp then had a beautiful bounce pass to Tuttle for the score down low.
The lead was now at 10, with four minutes remaining in the game. Wade Stilson, Mason Stilson and Zack Tuttle would all get scores consecutively for the Spartans. Emery held their lead and eventually got the win, with a score of 73-55.
The Spartans will play for fifth place against the familiar Manti Templars, who started the tournament as the number four seed, right behind Emery. The game will be held at 11:40 a.m. on Saturday morning, broadcast live on etvnew.com/livesports.
