Green River/Emery basketball start season

By GARY ARRINGTON Sports Writer

The Emery High Spartan boys’ basketball team opened their 2014-15 season by hosting the Green River Pirates in the Spartan Center in Castle Dale last week and the game turned out to be a barn burner as the Spartans edged the Pirates 52-49. Emery scored the first four points of the game as Ridge Nielson and Tyson Roper each scored. Green River answered by scoring the next six points on baskets by TJ Hughes and Jon Mendez with Hughes scoring the first two baskets and that is literally the way the game went the entire night.
Green River led 11-10 after the first quarter and 25-19 at the half. Emery led at 8-6 and then at 17-15 before the Pirates scored ten of the final twelve points of the half. Nick Corrigan was the leading scorer in the first half for the Pirates with 7 points and Kolton Butler was the top scorer for the Spartans with 8 points.
Emery found new life at the start of the third quarter as the Spartans scored 15 of the first 20 points and turned a six-point deficit into a four-point lead. Senior Tai Justice had the hot hand at the start of the period as he knocked down three consecutive three-point shots to give the Spartans a boost. Senior Tyson Roper then scored 10 of the final 15 points in the quarter. Hughes kept Green River in the game by scoring six points.
Green River won the final period of the game 14-11 but that was not enough to win the game. Trailing 41-35 to start the period, Green River scored nine of the first 10 points of the period and grabbed the lead at 44-42. Emery actually scored the first point of the period and then the Pirates reeled off nine straight on baskets by Mendez and then Jon again and then Mendez hit a pair of free throws to score six straight points.
Hughes then hit a three pointer as the Pirates reclaimed the lead. Emery’s Justice hit a pair of free throws and Nielson had a basket to allow the Spartans to reclaim the lead at 46-44. The score was tied at 48-48. Emery’s Koby Butler had a basket and Nielson went 1 for 2 at the free throw line to score Emery’s final points of the game. Green River missed a pair of free throws with 33 seconds left in the game that could have tied the score at 51-51.
Mendez sat out most of the third quarter due to foul trouble while the Spartans played the game without the services of two potential starters in Beau Roundy and Dillon Wilstead.
Hughes led Green River in scoring with 15 points with Chance Pfander adding 12 points and Mendez scoring 8 points. Corrigan scored 6 points and Jovani Flores and Corbin Mecham each scored 4 points. Green River made 12 of 18 free throws in the game and sunk three three-pointers.
Justice and Roper each scored 13 points to lead the Spartans in this category. Nielson scored 8 points and Kolton Butler scored 9 points before fouling out. Kevin Butler scored 5 points and Koby Butler and Bowdie Jacobsen each scored 2 points for the Spartans. Emery made just 9 of 26 free throws in the game and the added four three-pointers.