As a team I think we all have really good chemistry with each other, and it’s easy to give the ball up to a teammate that you can trust. – Emery’s McKlane Allred
CASTLE DALE — Emery faced off against a young North Sevier team on Wednesday at home. The Spartans continued their home court dominance, beating the Wolves 70-47.
McKlane Allred shot the lights out in his best performance of the season. Allred scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers, to go along with five rebounds while shooting 73 percent from the field.
“What really got me going was running the court and getting active in the game,” Allred said. Drexler Tanner, who also had a strong performance with eight rebounds and eight points, said, “McKlane really ran the lane hard, which helped get us going.”
Gavin McDermott and Bailey Faimalo continued their consistent play with 14 points and nine boards for McDermott and 10 assists for Faimalo.
It was a quick start for both teams as they shot high percentages at the beginning of the game. North Sevier’s “four out” set caused problems for Emery early, and the Wolves were able to get open looks. However, the Spartans' inside game was tough for North Sevier to handle in the first quarter as Emery held the advantage, 22-11.
In the second quarter, the Spartans went on a 16-5 run to pull comfortably ahead. Emery closed out the half up 40-20. Despite a few issues with pesky offensive rebounding and 3-point shooting from North Sevier, the Spartans never looked back and the lead never shrank into single digits for the rest of the game.
Early in the third quarter before Emery started making mass substitutions, the Spartans were playing very good basketball. The pick and roll game was working extremely well and Faimalo often found a rolling Tanner or McDermott for an easy two.
“Bay saw the floor great tonight, which turned into layups for the offense,” said Tanner. The Spartans controlled the game 54-32 at the end of three.
In the fourth quarter, reserve players were given a chance to play, and many made good use of their time. They played tough against the North Sevier starters and gained some valuable experience. Ridge Nielson ran the backup point guard position and played very well.
“Ridge also came in, saw the floor well and pushed the ball,” said Tanner. Emery closed out the win 70-47.
“As a team I think we all have really good chemistry with each other, and it’s easy to give the ball up to a teammate that you can trust,” Allred said.
Up next for Emery is South Sevier on the road. The Spartans, who were unable to beat the Rams in three meetings last season, will look to end that streak and notch the road win.
Hayden Johnson is an aspiring sports writer. Check out his blog at hjsportsblog.blogspot.com. Follow him on Twitter @HJ_3207. Contact him at hayden@emeryschools.org.