Manila tops Dumas to get back to final

MANILA 56, DUMAS 44

LAMAR — With a hot shooting final quarter to take the momentum, Manila secured its spot in the Class 3A championship game for the first time since 2010.

It was again another balanced effort Saturday at Warrior Arena for Manila that allowed it to pull away late for a 56-44 victory against Dumas, the Class 3A runner-up from last year.

“Just to get to play in this setting and for these kids to get to experience this is special,” Manilia Coach Lee Wimberley said. “That’s the beauty of being from a small town because we had a lot of support here. Basketball is the identity of our town, so this is huge to go back.”

Manila (30-5) last made the championship game in 2010. The Lions were led by Jaron Burrow’s team-high 20 points, Brayden Nunnally’s 18 and Rex Farmer’s 14.

It was an efficient afternoon overall for the Lions, who made 20 of 35 shots in the game. But it was ultra-efficient for Farmer, who didn’t miss a shot while making four threepoint baskets. He stepped up in the semifinals after scoring eight points in the opening round and 11 points in the second round.

“That rim was big this afternoon,” Farmer said. “My teammates got me some good shots. We have a lot of seniors, and I just want to thank them for being great teammates behind a great crowd.”

Farmer, who competed in the Overall golf championship this season as well, was a key factor early with nine first-half points and five in the final quarter.

“When he is on, he is on and gives us another dimension to our offense,” Wimberley said. “Usually when he hits that first shot, it’s going to be a good night for him.”

Dumas held a 37-36 edge heading into the final quarter, but that’s when Manila took control of the game. Nunnally started the quarter with a three-pointer to start a 12-0 run and Farmer capped it with an outside shot of his own. That allowed the Lions to take a 48-37 lead, and they didn’t look back after that. Manila was able to make seven of its nine fourth-quarter shots, while Dumas made three of its 10 shots in the final frame.

Dumas (29-8) held a 14-10 lead after the opening quarter and it was tied at 29-29 entering halftime. The Bobcats had Tommy Reddick (14 points) and Brandon Johnson (11 points) step up for Mike Reddick, who fouled out with 9 points and watched most of the game from the bench.

BERGMAN 74, RIVERCREST 58

After scoring just six points in the initial two state tournament games, Bergman junior guard Bryson Bauer knew he might be needed in the semifinals matchup. He showed what he could do Saturday night at Warrior Arena.

Bauer scored a game-high 21 points to lead the way for the Panthers. That effort helped allow Bergman to make it back to the Class 3A state finals with a 74-58 win. Bauer had a team-high seven points in the opening quarter to get things rolling for Bergman, which needed all those points down 18-13 after the opening eight minutes.

A strong push in the second quarter got Bergman back the lead at 30-29. The Panthers really exploded offensively in the second half. They outscored Rivercrest 18-11 in the third quarter and then 26-18 in the final quarter.

Bergman (38-5) also received big nights from Walker Patton (17 points), Kaden Ponder (13 points) and Dylan Friend (12 points).

Rivercrest was guided by freshman Jayden Young, who finished with 21 points and 79 total points in three state-tournament games.