ETV News stock photo by Dusty Butler
The Lady Spartans took two steps forward and one step back on Tuesday night when the 5A Uintah Utes came to town. Both Tambrie Tuttle and Tatum Tanner returned to action after missing the first two games due to injury. Unfortunately, Addie Lester went down with an ankle injury prior to the game and is expected to miss several weeks.
For the third straight game, the Spartans came blistering out of the gates. They put up 21 points off of four three-pointers, two from Daicee Ungergman, in the first quarter.
Down by six, the Utes exerted all of their energy on the defensive side of the ball. Uintah was able to slow down the Emery attack, but it came at the cost of its own offensive production. The Spartans held the Utes to just one point in the second quarter to take a 32-16 lead into halftime.
Baylee Jacobson went to work in the second half and scored 11 of her 14 points to put the game away. She shot 57 percent from the field, which was a team-high. Tuttle was effective in her return with 12 points and five rebounds. Tanner was eased into action and was productive in her limited minutes. She changes the way the opposition plays on both sides of the court.
The Tram Electric Player of the game went to Brynn Gordon for her hustle and savvy play. Gordon led the Spartans with five steals and ended the night with seven points. Her impact was felt far beyond that, however. It was a team effort as nine different Spartans got on the board to take down Uintah 57-38.
It will be a tough weekend for the Spartans (3-0) with Lester gone and Tuttle and Tanner working their way back from injury. Emery will play four games in two days, two of which are against 4A Ridgeline (1-0) and Sky View (1-0).