Lady Templars fight hard, but lose

uphill battle to top-ranked Emery

By Joe Quackenbush

Staff writer

Feb. 8, 2018

MANTI—When a team that is 1-9 in region faces a team that is 9-1, it’s an uphill battle, but despite the overwhelming odds, the Lady Templars faced No. 1 ranked Emery Thursday and still managed get in some good plays as they fought for every point in the 35-74 loss to the Lady Spartans.

During the game on Thursday, Feb. 1, Manti guard Avalin Cook demonstrated her ability as an all-around player. Cook was Manti’s team leader, blocking shots and causing several turnovers.

“Our kids played a lot better tonight,” said Roger Watson, Manti head coach. “We rebounded better, stopped their transition, and turned the ball over less compared to our last game.”

Kjerstin Birch, Tyra Hermansen, and Katie Larsen also contributed significantly to Manti’s point total. The Lady Templars did not solely rely on their starting line-up—Watson made a number of substitutions during the game to give less experienced players some time on the court.

True to Manti High School’s motto, “Self-Realization,” the Lady Templars may have lost, but they finished with their best feet forward as evidenced by the fact that some of their most exciting plays happened in the final two minutes of the game.

This was a tough week for the Lady Templars, having just come off another loss by a wider margin to Richfield (16-58). The Lady Wildcats are tied for first place in the region with Emery.  In the loss to the Lady Bulldogs game, Richfield had three players who combined for 35 combined points.

The Lady Templars took to the road for their last two conference games. They faced South Sevier on Tuesday and face North Sanpete today (scores unavailable at press time).