The Emery High Lady Spartan basketball team traveled last week to Richfield in quest of a 2-A Utah State basketball title. Emery, playing without starter Kacelyn Toomer for a pair of games and then with a hobbled Kacelyn in the Saturday championship game, won a pair of games advancing to the championship game Saturday night and lost a heartbreaker to North Sevier 49-45. Emery had defeated Enterprise on Thursday 33-25 and then defeated Beaver on Friday 34-32 to advance.
This was not the same Emery team that we had become accustomed to throughout the season. First, Kacelyn broke a bone in her foot on Tuesday night while at a junior jazz game and she was missing from the lineup Thursday and Friday. Saturday, she played but not with the same gusto as we are used to seeing. Second, throughout 10 region games the Lady Spartans defeated their 10 opponents by the average score of 69-31.
In Richfield, the average score for Emery was 37-35. Our average went way down and our opponents average inched up.
Third, Emery shot poorly in the three games. In the first game the Spartans shot 35 percent at the free throw line, 28 percent from the field and 26 percent behind the three-point line. Against Beaver we made 13 of 37 field goal attempts and 5 of 11 free throws. Against North Sevier we made just 2 of 17 three-points attempts and went 11 of 17 at the line.
The common theme in all three games was the beating that Spartan center Megan Jensen took all game long in each of the games. Jensen was double and triple teamed throughout each game and she was shoved, pushed, held and generally abused each game but she managed to still be Emery’s leading scorer in the tournament as she scored 44 points over three games for an average of nearly 15 points. She also pulled down 38 rebounds over those same games. The officiating favored more the aggressive style of the opponents.
In the championship game Emery and North Sevier were tied 15-15 after the first quarter and Jensen had scored 11 points. Emery won the second quarter 6-2 and Jensen added four more points. Emery was outscored 14-10 in the third quarter and the score was tied at the end of the period.
Emery had led by eight points earlier in the quarter. Both teams scored 11 points in the final quarter to send the game to overtime. North Sevier won in overtime.
Emery had a four-point lead with about a minute to go in regulation but a couple of turnovers allowed the Wolves to tie the score with 30 seconds left. Emery had the ball but did not attempt a shot in those final seconds and sent the game to overtime. Emery made just two of five free throw attempts in overtime which helped seal their fate plus they allowed an offensive rebound on a North Sevier free throw miss which did not help.
Against Enterprise Megan and Lainee Jensen each scored 8 points to lead the Spartan effort. Bailey Huggard scored 7 points, Kinlee Toomer scored 6 points and Morgan Hurdsman scored 4 points. Megan also had 16 rebounds, 5 blocked shots, a steal and an assist.
Against Beaver, Megan scored 10 points and had 8 rebounds, Morgan scored 7 points, Lainee scored 5 points and Kinlee, Bailey and Erin Hurst each scored 4 points.
Against North Sevier, Megan scored 26 points and had 12 rebounds, Kinlee scored 7 points, Lainee scored 6 points, Bailey scored 4 points and Kacelyn scored 2 points playing on a very taped up foot. Kinlee, Bailey and Megan combined to make 13 shots in 24 attempts while the rest of the team made just three shots in 21 attempts in this game.
Emery started four sophomores and a junior this season with the first player off the bench another sophomore followed by a freshman. The Lady Spartans were just short this season but they will be back. North Sevier was the preseason favorite to win it all after having finished second last season.
Lady Spartans second at state tourney
Megan Jensen holds the Lady Spartan’s second place trophy at the 2A State Championship in Richfield on Saturday night. Megan Jensen was the top scorer for Emery.