For Lady Spartans Hope Turns to Heartbreak

Vallyn Bernard

The quarterfinal game in the 3A state basketball playoffs proved to be a heartbreaker for the Lady Spartans.
The Emery faithful wished the Lady Spartans good luck as they traveled to the E Center in West Valley City in search of a second state title last week, but the Lady Spartans lost their chance to defend their championship title from last year in the game against Judge Memorial by a score of 61 – 58.

It was a tough loss for the Lady Spartans, especially since they had the lead, 53 - 51 in the 4th quarter with only 1:05 to go in the game. Jodi Robertson got a rebound, and was fouled. However, the referee called the foul on Jodi, who couldn’t believe the call. To make it worse, Jodi was given a technical foul, which put her out of the game. Judge made all 4 free throws, and then got the ball back. Judge was fouled again, and made both those free throws, giving them a four-point lead with only 49 seconds to go in the game.

A six-point swing with less than a minute to go, maybe that’s why they call them “foul” shots
The number one definition of the word “foul” is: disgusting to the senses, followed closely by: contaminated by impurities. I believe this can apply to a second half in which one team goes to the foul line 5 times, and their opponent makes 27 trips. Remember you get 6 fouls before they become shooting opportunities. Factor in those numbers you now have 33 fouls against one team compared to 11 for the other players. Put them together and what do you have? 44 fouls in the second half alone. No one went to this game to watch the referees, but obviously, they never got the message.

Judge made 18 points from the foul line to Emery’s 3 points in the second half of their 3A quarterfinal game. Judge won by 3 points, you do the math. Coaches and players are held accountable for their actions and the mistakes they make on the court. Where is the accountability for officials?

The Lady Spartans had four players scoring in double figures. Meagan Pearson ended her basketball career at Emery High School with an incredible game, scoring a game high 22 points with five baskets from beyond the 3 point line. Emery’s other senior, Michonne Robertson ended with 12 points, while Frankie Komar and Jodi Robertson both had 10 points including two 3-point baskets. The only other Lady Spartan to score was ShiAnne Allred with 4 points.

The Lady Spartans had a wonderful year, closing out their season with a record of 8-0 in region, to take the Region 8 crown, and 16-6 overall. The Lady Spartans provided many memorable moments this season for not only themselves, but also all the faithful fans that followed them.

2 Spartan wrestlers place in state tournament

Tamra Luke

The Spartan wrestling team traveled to Utah Valley State College to attend the 3A State Championship tournament Feb. 14-16.

Emery was able to take eight wrestlers to the tournament this year. This is a large number for Emery and double the number they were able to take last year. Out of these eight wrestlers, two placed in the tournament. Freshman Clay Collard, placed 5th, and senior Mckay Allred placed 6th. These two wrestlers are the first wrestlers from Emery to place at the state tournament in several years.

Mckay Allred was also named a member of the 3A Academic All-State team. This award is given to high school seniors who have shown great ability on the mat and in the classroom. Mckay has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school while competing in cross-country, wrestling, and track, and plans to attend the University of Utah in the fall. He is the son of David and McKette Allred, and has completed his fourth year wrestling for the Spartans. He finished off the season with a record of (40-9).

Clay Collard is only a freshman this year and has already proven himself to be a strong competitor. He is the son of Chris and Marilyn Collard. Besides competing well on the wrestling mat, Clay is also an accomplished boxer.
This year’s Spartan coaching staff included head coach Buck Taylor and assistant coaches Tom Hansen, Kevin Reynolds, and Cade Jones. Members of the team this year included: Joey Stream, Clay Collard, Zac Walls, Mckay Allred, Hadan Hatch, Cort Jensen, Keith Bird, Jace Guymon, Jake Gardner, Cade Whittle, Mike Jones, Wade Bohn, Drew Bohn, Kenny Baker, Josey Johnson, Caleb Jones, and Cyal Christmas.

Lady Pirates place 7th in state

Brennan Bigelow

The Green River Lady Pirates headed for state to take on Valley in the first round on Feb. 13. Valley defeated the Pirates earlier in the season, but things would be different this time around.

After only scoring 4 points in the first quarter, the Lady Pirates surged back in the second quarter to lead by 2 at the half. The third quarter was very close with Valley outscoring Green River by one point. Leading in the last quarter, the Pirates turned it on and finished the game on top with a final score of 39-36.

Leading the Pirates was Sarah Swalberg with 10 points. Also contributing to the Pirates win was Brandi Webster with 9 and Crosby Hatt with 6. Bailie Packer added 5, Cady Mecham scored 4, and Leah Swalberg and Jill Vetere both scored 2. Tracy Engleman added 1 point.

On Feb. 14 the Lady Pirates faced the always tough Panguitch Bobcats. Playing neck and neck through the first half, the score was all knotted up at 20. After playing close for the first minutes of the third quarter Panguitch pulled out to a 6 point lead. The lady Pirates came out and gave it their all but Panguitch prevailed 42-34 and moved on in the tournament.

Moving into the consolation bracket, the Lady Pirates were paired up against the St. Joseph Jayhawks for a game on Feb. 15. The Pirates jumped out to an early 6 point lead at the first quarter. The Jayhawks outscored the Pirates in the second by 2 but the Lady Pirates kept the streak going and outscored the Jayhawks in the remaining two quarters to place them on top 46-37. Leading the Pirates was Brandi Webster with 15. Also scoring in double digits was Crosby Hatt with 13. Leah Swalberg scored 7, Sarah Swalberg scored 5, Cady Mecham ended with 4 and Bailie Packer and Tracy Engleman both scored 1.

Bryce Valley would be the next foe for the Pirates as they faced off against the Mustangs on Feb. 16.

The Mustangs took control of the first half and outscored the Pirates 23-10. The third quarter was all Bryce Valley and the Lady Pirates now trailed 43-16. By the time the fourth rolled around the Pirates were down by 27. The Pirates made a run but could not completely close the distance as the Lady Pirates lost the game with a final score of 51-30 and a 7th place finish.

Pirates hand Mustangs first defeat of the season

Brennan Bigelow

The Pirates faced the undefeated Mustangs of Dugway on Feb. 12 and rocketed off to a great start to outscore the Mustangs by 6 in the first quarter.

After struggling in the second quarter, the two teams were dead even. The third quarter rolled out and the Mustangs took the lead. The win came down to great playing in the fourth quarter. The Pirates charged on and handed the Mustangs their first loss of the season as they took the win 46-43.

Leading the Pirates was Brennan Bigelow with 13. Jason and Tyson Johnson both scored 9 points. Kayden Mecham scored 8, and scoring 7 was Luis Mendoza.

On Feb.16, the Pirates faced the cagey Wasatch Academy Tigers. The Pirates struggled to score as the Tigers went on a shooting tear. The Pirates could never really get anything going. The Tigers capitalized and defeated the Pirates by three points 44-41.

On Feb. 21 the Pirates faced the Monticello Buckaroos. The Buckaroos came out and shot very well and the Pirates were very slow to start.

After being blown out in the first half the Pirates stood no chance. The Pirates went on a run at the end of the game to close up the deficit, although not enough to bring it within a reasonable amount.

Daniel Torres scored 28 points for the Buckaroos, including 6 three-pointers as the Buckaroos handed the Pirates a devastating 93-53 loss. The Pirates will now play the Mount Vernon Patriots for a play-in for state on Feb. 26. Depending on the outcome the Pirates would then travel to Richfield to play in the 1A state tournament.