The Boys’ Hoop Squad beat the Rock Canyon Jaguars 54-47 on Wednesday night.
Senior Ray Riley gives Rock Canyon a lesson in Jam-Ball etiquette. Photo by Rebecca Holt
The game came down to the final minutes as the Spartans were able to hang on and beat the Jaguars of Rock Canyon on a chilly Wednesday night. The Spartan boys opened the game with an 8-0 run, and lead 17 to 6 at the end of the first quarter. Senior Guard Ray Riley blew the Jaguars away as he stole the ball twice and soared high in the air to slam both dunks down emphatically, which really energized the crowd and put the Jaguars in a stupor. “This was a good momentum shift for us. We got the crowd into the game which gave us a true home court advantage,” said Riley with a smile. Riley was not done stealing the ball, as he would finish the game with a team-high seven steals.
By halftime the Hoop Squad led 30-17, and it looked as if the game was going to be an easy win for the Spartans. However, the Jaguars clawed back and erased a 13 point deficit to a more manageable eight, as they were able to outscore the Spartans by a score of 14-9 in the third quarter. Yet the Jaguars would not be able to muster a true threat as they would not close to within less than a four-point margin with the Spartans. “We wanted to play solid D, and keep in front of our man. We wanted to set the tone on defense,” said Head Coach Grant Laman. And that is what the Spartans did in the fourth quarter, as they would hold the Jaguars to at least a tw- possession game at all times.
TJ was able to drain the clock and eventually came out with a 54-47 win. “We needed to keep up the hustle in the second half and we did,” said Riley.
The Spartans will try to get on a roll when they open up a three day tournament beginning Thursday and running through Saturday at Green Mountain High School. The Spartans will open up the tournament as they take on the Evergreen Cougars at 8:00 p.m. at Green Mountain on Thursday night. The Cougars come into the game with a bitter taste in their mouth, as they were smoked last year by the Spartans in the 4A State Playoffs by a score of 66-57; thus eliminating them from playoff contention. The Spartans will again need Seniors Ray Riley and Billy Sprague’s points to contend with Evergreen. The boys finished with 20 and 16 points respectively Wednesday night against Rock Canyon.
