Basketball Preview: Emery Spartans vs. Panguitch Bobcats
The Emery Spartans will take on the Panguitch Bobcats at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Emery is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54.2 points per game this season.
Last Wednesday, Emery came up short against American Leadership Academy and fell 55-45. While the Spartans didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Eagles 16-11 in the first quarter.
Emery's defeat came about despite a quality game from Scott Johansen, who earned ten points plus seven steals and six rebounds. With that strong performance, Johansen is now averaging an impressive 3 steals per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Jace Frandsen, who posted 14 points in addition to five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Panguitch put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 65-62 victory over Grand County. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Bobcats have posted since December 27, 2023.
Panguitch's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Daxton Miller, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Miller a new career-high in threes (two). Another player making a difference was Remme Chappell, who went 7 for 11 en route to 15 points plus eight rebounds.
Panguitch pushed their record up to 4-0 with the win, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.8 points per game. As for Emery, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Emery has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Panguitch struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.8. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Emery was able to grind out a solid victory over Panguitch in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, winning 61-53. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Panguitch's Cache Eyre, who posted 16 points in addition to six rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Saturday, will it be easier for Emery to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
