Basketball Game Preview: North Sanpete Hawks vs. Emery Spartans

By Team Reports Jan 8, 2025, 1:10am

Basketball Preview: North Sanpete Hawks vs. Emery Spartans

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North Sanpete is 0-9 against Emery since December of 2016 but things could change on Thursday. The North Sanpete Hawks will host the Emery Spartans at 7:00 p.m.

North Sanpete managed to keep up with Manti until halftime on Tuesday, but things quickly went downhill from there. North Sanpete came up short against Manti, falling 49-28. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Hawks have suffered against the Templars since December 15, 2020.

Madison Johansen

Steals

01/07/25 @ Manti3
01/02/25 @ Juan Diego Catholic2
12/27/24 vs Gunnison Valley2

Despite the defeat, North Sanpete had strong showings from Madison Johansen, who posted nine points along with five boards and three steals, and Malia Schlappi, who put up 11 points. Johansen has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times she's played.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Emery, who bounced back after a loss on the road back in December of 2024. They blew past Carbon 58-38 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Spartans have posted against the Dinos since January 20, 2022.

North Sanpete better keep an eye on Katelyn Nielson. She was instrumental in Emery's win, dropping a double-double on 19 points and 12 rebounds. That's the most boards Nielson has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Kali Jensen, who had nine points and four steals.

Emery pushed their record up to 6-8 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 32.3 points. As for North Sanpete, their loss dropped their record down to 5-9.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Sanpete has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Emery struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

North Sanpete suffered a grim 57-33 defeat to Emery in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Will North Sanpete have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.

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