Last week, the Emery High boy’s basketball team really needed two wins to solidify their opportunity of participating in this year’s 3-A state tournament but after two road games, they only came home with one. Emery lost to Delta in the closing minutes 68-59 and then romped over Manti 64-47 in a game that wasn’t that close.
As region 12 enters the last week of play, North Sanpete is on top of the region with a 7-1 record with Richfield next with a 6-2 record. Juab has a 4-4 record with Manti at 3-5 and Delta and Emery at 2-6. The region takes five teams to state which makes this is an important week of basketball.
Delta plays Juab and Richfield this week while Emery will host the top two teams in Richfield and North Sanpete. Manti plays North Sanpete and Juab. There is a lot on the line so it will be an interesting week of basketball.
At Manti, senior Ty Benson had what several people in attendance wanted to call “a career night.” Benson was nearly perfect in shooting in the game. Ty was three for three on 2-point field goal attempts, six for seven on 3-point field goal attempts and 12 for 13 at the free throw line with the very last free throw bouncing out. Ty finished the game with 36 points as Emery won easily a game they really needed to win.
At Delta, as Coach Jeffs feels about the whole season, they lost the game in the last four minutes. Coach Jeffs said this after the game, “We have had the opportunity to win every region game this year it seems like but we just don’t finish them very well. It’s the same story, we are right there and then in the last four minutes we lose.” Emery lost this game in overtime against the Rabbits.
At Manti, Emery grabbed a quick 12-2 lead in the first quarter. Benson grabbed the opening jump ball and took it in for a lay-up and then hit a 3-pointer to give Emery that 10-point lead. Emery went on to lead 16-8 after the period. The second period saw Manti come back to be down 27-24 at the half. Benson sat down half way through the second period with three fouls and Emery did not hit another basket in the quarter. Benson had seven points in the first quarter and six points in the second quarter. Kash Jewkes also sat with three fouls.
In the third quarter, Emery jumped to a 38-27 lead as Benson hit three consecutive 3-pointers and Quinn Montgomery had a steal with a following lay-up. The score went to 44-28 and ended the third quarter at 48-33. Benson added a pair of free throws to end with 11 points in the period. In the fourth quarter, Emery took the score to 54-33 and then led 64-43 when Coach Jeffs pulled his starters. Benson had 12 points in this period.
Other scorer’s in the game were Montgomery and Nick Stoddard with eight points each, Kashe Potter with seven points and Jewkes with two points. Chance Huntington added three points off the bench. Montgomery had seven assists while Stoddard led with five rebounds.
At Delta, Emery was down 10-4 after the first period, down 25-23 at the half, down 38-35 after three quarters and were tied 56-56 at the end of regulation. Delta won overtime 12-3 to win the game. Emery had their opportunities in the final quarter to pull out the win but it just didn’t happen.
Benson led the way with 24 points and Jewkes added 18 points. Dallon Cologie scored nine points on three 3-pointers in the second period. Potter and Stoddard scored three points each with Montgomery scoring two points and Huntington scoring one point.
Emery will host Richfield on Wednesday night and North Sanpete on Friday night. Richfield defeated Emery by 10 points in the final period last game after the two teams were tied going into that period. Emery will finish the region season by hosting North Sanpete on Friday night. At North Sanpete, all starters plus Huntington fouled out of the game with questionable officiating on their home turf. Game time is 7 p.m. each night.
Emery basketball: Boys win one
"Ty Benson puts up a shot at the buzzer to send the game against Delta into overtime."