Lady Spartans lose heartbreaker at Wasatch

By GARY ARRINGTON Sports writer

It was a tough night for the Lady Spartans as they lost a game that they probably should have won last week when they traveled to Heber City and played the defending 3-A state champions in a non-region basketball contest. Final score was 59-54.
Head Coach Steven Gordon said, “We could have and should have won that basketball game. There were three really bad calls at the close of the game and each of them went Wasatch’s way.” I also heard from other sources that Coach Gordon’s assessment was correct just in case anyone would think that Steven is prejudiced.
Emery trailed 17-14 after the first period but tied the score at the half at 28-28. Emery then had a third period lead of 49-48 before only scoring five points in the final period of the loss.
Not only is Wasatch the defending champion, they also return the top player in the state. Wasatch is a quality team that could win it all again this year. But they are only one of six teams that actually could win the title in probably the most open tournament in a while. Emery is another of those teams that could take it as is region rival Carbon High.
Sophomore Taylor Mann, a 6’1″ post player, came off the bench and made the most of her time on the floor. Taylor scored 18 points in by far her biggest game as a Spartan as she hit eight of 10 attempts from the field. Mann also pulled down three rebounds, had an assist and had a blocked shot.
Point guard Frankie Komar had two regular baskets plus two 3-point baskets and was four for four at the free throw line to finish with 14 points. Frankie also had two assists and two rebounds. Jodi Robertson scored nine points and was charged with defending Wasatch’s top players. Robertson finished with two rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Also scoring in the game were Abbie Kay and Tiffany Tuttle with six points each and Jessica Murray with two points. Tuttle led the team with eight rebounds and a blocked shot while Kay had two rebounds and two blocked shots.
Emery was 18 for 33 from the field inside the 3-point line and two for nine beyond the line. Emery was also 12 for 15 at the free throw line.
Inspite of the fact that Emery lost, this was a good game for the team. They played won of the best teams on their floor and played well. While one never wants bad calls to influence the outcome of a contest, this was a deciding factor in the closing minute of the game.
The Lady Spartans also will enter league play as they will host two games this week in the Spartan Center. First the pesky Delta Rabbits come to town on Tuesday night and then rival Carbon High will come to town on Thursday night. Sophomore games start as 3:30 p.m. with varsity starting at around 7 p.m.