Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Watson, Adams solid for their teams
Cooper Watson wasn’t expecting to take the final shot against Marked Tree on Saturday, but he was ready when the opportunity came his way.
Watson scored 14 points and made the game-winning basket to lead County Line to a 46-44 victory over Marked Tree in the Class 1A state finals at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs. The win capped a perfect 45-0 season for County Line, which lost to Bradley in the state finals last year.
For his effort, Watson is the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette boys Player of the Week. Marin Adams of Farmington is the NWADG girls Player of the Week.
County Line and Marked Tree were tied at 44-44 when County Line gained possession with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Point guard Trent Johnston hurried the ball across center court before passing off to Watson, who drove aggressively to the rim and made a short shot to put the Indians ahead with six seconds to play.
“Trent had the ball, and I thought Trent was going to take the shot,” Watson said. “I was trailing, getting ready to rebound. He dished it back to me, and it was open. It was an easy shot.”
Marked Tree tried to get a timeout but time expired.
Watson added 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in addition to his gamehigh 14 points. He made consecutive shots to give County Line a 33-31 lead, its first since scoring the first basket of the game. He also contributed to a 9-0 run that helped County Line recover after Marked Three went ahead by 11 in the third quarter.
Adams came off the bench and scored a game-high 22 points when Farmington beat Nashville 65- 61 to win the Class 4A state championship in the first game of the state finals on Thursday. The sophomore forward also contributed 4 rebounds and 2 assists while making 8 of 10 shots from the field and 4 of 6 free throws.
Nashville got off to a quick start before Adams contributed six points during a 9-2 run to give the Cardinals a lead that grew to 10 at halftime. The sophomore then made back- to- back shots when Farmington built a 16-point lead in the third quarter.
“Marin Adams was outstanding in the finals,” Farmington coach Brad Johnson said. “She was a game-changer on both ends with her ability to attack pressure, get down hill, and score. Additionally, she helped us to break pressure and played phenomenal on the defense end.”