Emery boys begin season with a win; girls fall to Piute

By GARY ARRINGTON Sports Writer

The 2013-14 basketball season began last week for the two Emery High teams with the boys’ team opening at home against Enterprise and playing well enough to grab the victory 71-67. The girls’ team played at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield as a Hall of Fame game and lost to a good Piute team by the score of 63-58.
Both teams have enough returning players to have good seasons, the girls are ranked first in 2-A and the boys were ranked second, and both coaches believe that this season could be special for their teams.
For the boys, after falling behind 4-2 Enterprise jumped to a 16-5 lead and the Emery fans were fidgeting just a little. But the explosiveness of this team was quickly evident when they scored in rapid succession in the final two minutes of the first quarter to find the two teams tied after the first quarter 18-18. Senior Gavin McDermott scored eight points in the period and McKlane Allred hit a three-pointer just as time expired as the two kept the Spartans in the game. The team had trouble with the outside shot in the period.
Emery won the second quarter 15-8 to lead at the half 33-26. The Emery fans were thinking that they had finally settled down and had taken control of the game. Junior Dillon Wilstead scored eight points in the period to pace the Emery team. Sophomore Beau Roundy entered the game in the period and the 6’8″ player changed the type of shot the Enterprise could hit as he blocked a pair of shots early on.
Emery played evenly with the Wolves in the third quarter as the score at the end of the period was 49-43 Emery. Senior Bailey Faimalo scored nine points in the period to lead the team.
The fourth quarter started with a bang for Enterprise as they tied the score at 51-51 before Faimalo and Allred hit three’s on successive trips down the floor to put Emery back up 57-51. Emery then maintained that advantage to win the game.
Faimalo scored 20 points, pulled down 8 rebounds grabbed 7 steals and dished out 13 assists to lead the team to victory. Wilstead scored 17 points, McDermott scored 14 points and Allred scored 10 points as four Spartans finished in double figures. McDermott led the team with 12 rebounds. Also scoring were Drexler Tanner with 4 points and Roundy with 4 points along with Tyson Roper with 2 points. Roundy had 9 rebounds before he fouled out of the contest.
The Lady Spartans traveled to Richfield to play Piute, a team that returned most players from a successful season last year. Emery was outscored 14-9 in the first period, 18-11 in the second quarter and 16-11 in the third quarter. The Emery team is looking to build on last season’s second place finish in state with this season’s team.
The team found their stride in the final period as they outscored Piute 27-15. Ashlynn Allred led the team with 17 points and hit three three-pointers. Hannah Dyer was the single threat early for the team as she was the only other Spartan to finish the game in double figures. Dyer had 11 points and also hit three threes.
Emily Olsen scored 8 points, Bailey Rasmussen scored 7 points, Lexie Huntington and Camry Johnson each scored 4 points, and Kelsie Cox scored 3 points with Paytn Jeffs and Cassidy Labrum each scoring 2 points.
The Emery boys play three games this week, Beaver at home on Wednesday night and Parowan and Enterprise at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield this Friday and Saturday. Game time Friday is 10 am and Saturday is 9 am as the team is one of 16 teams playing the two days in Richfield.
The girls play this Tuesday at Uintah High in Vernal and this Thursday at Richfield High. Varsity game time each night is approximately 7 p.m., depending on the previous two games that day.