Last week, the Emery High Lady Spartan basketball team split two ball games, winning at home over 4-A’s Dixie Flyers 54-36 and losing on the road to South Sevier 58-44.
Although one might assume from the score that the game against South Sevier approached being a runaway game, the final score is deceptive. Midway through the final period Emery was within five points before Emery had to resort to fouling to try and get the ball back.
South Sevier is the two-time defending 2-A state champion and they are highly favored this season to make it three in a row as they have cruised to a perfect record so far this season. The Rams are a veteran team that starts five seniors.
Jodi Robertson played a great game as she led the team in scoring with 22 points and also was asked to defend the Rams best player. Jodi scored 12 points in the second quarter.
Frankie Komar scored nine points in the game but Emery got very little from their other three starters as the three combined to score just four points in the game. Abbie Kay and Tiffany Tuttle each scored a single basket in the game. Taylor Mann scored six points off the bench with Markette Tanner adding a 3-pointer to round out the Emery scoring.
Emery had a much better effort against the Flyers. Emery jumped all over Dixie as the game began with a suffocating full court press that resulted in numerous turnovers and easy baskets. Frankie got the team off to a good start hitting the first two shots of the game to put Emery up 5-0 with 40 seconds elapsed.
Emery scored 10 points in the first two minutes, went cold for three minutes and then scored nine points to end the period. Emery led 19-4 after the first eight minutes. Komar led the way with nine points. ShiAnne Allred scored five points in the period as she worked hard to get good shots. Robertson also added a three.
Emery kept up the pressure in the second period although Coach Gordon went to bench often and the second team played most of the quarter. Tuttle and Kay had four points each to lead the team to a 11-8 advantage in the period and a 18-point half time lead.
The third quarter was not a good shooting quarter for Emery. Emery made three 3-pointers to lose the period 13-9. After Allred and Jessica Murray hit their shots in the first minute, Emery went scoreless for the next 6:30 before Tayler Jewkes hit another three.
Emery scored in a hurry in the final period. Although Emery has dry spells from time to time, when they score they score in a hurry. After having their lead cut to 12 points, Emery scored 11 points just like that to get comfortable again. Jodi scored seven in the quarter to lead the way.
Komar had 15 points in the game followed by Robertson with 10 points. Allred scored eight points, Kay scored six points and Tuttle scored four points. Murray, Tanner and Jewkes all hit a 3-pointer and Brooke Jensen scored two points to round out the scoring.
After the game Head Coach Steve Gordon talked to his team, “We looked good at times and we looked horrible at other times. Our press was effective tonight but we have got to learn not to panic at times when things don not go our way. It was a decent effort.”
Emery will travel to Wasatch Tuesday to play the defending 3-A champs to close out the preseason.
Lady Spartans rout Flyers and lose to Rams
"Jodi Robertson with a little jump shot in the middle."