Spartans eliminated by Chargers

In the first quarter of Tuesday’s 1A – 8 Regional game, Senior Charger Mason Wahl made the first three baskets all on layups opening the game on a 6-0 run, helping lead his team to a 78-45 win ending the Spartans season.

“I talked to the boys and I thanked the three seniors, Gideon [King], Cannon [Hansen], and Josh [Nelson],” said Spartan Head Coach Tony Santisteban. “I told them how proud I was of them as far as how much they grew from day one of practice to the end of the season. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It was a fun year.”

Following Wahl’s three baskets, Nelson was able to get the Spartans on the scoreboard making a mid-range jump shot. Later on in the quarter, Hansen connected for a 3-pointer, followed by a layup from Junior Owen Juhl, but the Spartans still trailed by nine at the end of the quarter.

“I know nine points is a big lead for ACGC especially for what a good ball club they are,” Santisteban said. “I liked where we were at. The only thing I didn’t like was that we were in foul trouble with Bryce [Brabham] and Owen, so that really hurt us.”

The second quarter was a struggle for the Spartans with the Chargers opening the quarter on a 9-0 run before Juhl temporarily put a stop to their run with a layup. Junior Charger Joe Crawford made a 3-point shot, followed by free throws from Senior Noah Kading as the Spartans trailed 36-14 at halftime.

“We had nothing to lose,” Santisteban added. “If we keep playing basketball, even with a big deficit right now, be ready to knock down some shots and chip away, we knew that was going to be tough to come back from, but crazier things have happened.”

The Spartans managed to get their offense going in the third quarter banking home 3-point shots from multiple players including Juhl, Nelson, and Hansen, along with a layup from Brabham and a mid-range jump shot from Juhl, but the Chargers continued to knock down shots including closing out the quarter on 8-0 run.

The Spartans got their first basket in the fourth quarter from Nelson from mid-range, along with Hansen making a few more layups, but the Spartans couldn’t overcome the Chargers and got eliminated ending their season.

The Spartans finish out their season with an overall record of 5-18 with wins against Boyer Valley, West Harrison, and Paton-Churdan. Despite losing three seniors, Santisteban is excited about the future of Spartan basketball.

“It’ll be nice to have some of the same kids out for two years in a row and gaining some more with the eighth graders coming in and maybe some more who didn’t go out this year,” he said. “It’ll be nice to have a good foundation of Austin, Owen, and Bryce, and hopefully keep building on that.”