Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Optimism In Face Of Adversity
FARMINGTON GIRLS BASKETBALL PREVIEW
FARMINGTON — Advanced Health teacher Brad Johnson has been treating a patient of his own — the Farmington girls basketball team of which he is head coach.
Four Farmington players were in street clothes when the varsity squad was introduced to fans and the community during the annual Tip-Off event held Nov. 11 at Cardinal Arena.
Sophomore post player 5-7 Tamia Harper, one of four freshmen to make varsity last season during a spectacular 24-8 season and postseason run to the State 5A semifinals, is recovering from an ACL injury. That physical challenge was compounded by the unexpected passing of her mother, Tanya Harper, 44, on Sept. 3. Tanya’s wish was for Tamia to attend Farmington High School and play basketball for the Lady Cardinals. To honor that wish, Johnson and his wife, Amber, opened their hearts and home, taking in Tamia and nurturing her to health through a broken heart and a broken body. Johnson sees tremendous potential for Tamia, predicting, “She will be an inspirational story,” somewhere down the road once she has made her way back into basketball.
Junior forward Anthea Jones, a starter last season, suffered a severe ankle sprain in the last volleyball match of the 2017 regular season against Harrison Oct. 12. Johnson is hopeful she will return to action as early as December.
The most-recent shockwave sent tremors through the Farmington student body and Lady Cardinal girls basketball program after what seemed a typical practice. On Oct. 19, sophomore guard Makenna Vanzant, who led the Lady Cardinals and the 5A West in scoring last season as a freshman, was taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital at Little Rock. A week later she was diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which according to the Mayo Clinic, is a condition caused by the abnormal destruction of red blood cells. Damaged red blood cells clog the filtering system in the kidneys, which can lead to life-threatening kidney failure.
“I didn’t know a whole lot about HUS,” Johnson said.
He and Makenna’s teammates got a crash course in learning about the uncommon condition. Although Makenna returned to school Nov. 10, this event was not accounted for in advance either in Johnson’s lesson plan or game plan. There was little choice but revamp the structure of the Lady Cardinal rotation, in which Makenna’s role was that of primary ball-handler and play-maker. She averaged 15.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals-per-game starting all 31 games as a freshman. Her shooting percentage was solid, 48 percent overall, 44 percent 3-point shooting and 78 percent at the free-throw line.
In the face of challenges, Johnson remains optimistic.
“Yes we are dealing with adversity, but I’m really excited about our basketball season,” Johnson said after the scrimmage.
“We’ve got a lot of interesting pieces. The kids are significantly interested in doing good. They have been working on improving their skill-set and changing their body in the weight room. We are tremendously excited about the upcoming season and what it could mean for us.
Lady Cardinal fans will see an expansion of the game of No. 2 scorer from last year, Madisyn Pense, a 5-6 junior who scored 13.5-points-pergame as a sophomore. Pense knocked down 95 shots from 3-point range on 254 attempts for 37 percent.
“There’s a lot more to that kid,” Johnson said. “Everybody knows she can shoot the basketball, but she’s got a really, quick first step.”
Sophomore Joelle Tidwell gained valuable experience in a role off the bench in the Lady Cardinals’ postseason foray deep into the 5A State tournament. Tidwell can play multiple positions and can guard any position.”
“When you have that type of versatility that’s an advantage for us,” Johnson said.
Junior Alexis Roach transferred from Siloam Springs and has impressed Johnson in practice. She scored 19 points in a benefit game against Gravette.
“Her ability to guard on-ball defensively will help us,” Johnson said. “She fits in the way we like to run the floor and stretch it. She fits in with her personality.”
Sophomore Audrey Culpepper (5-9) is the tallest player.
“We have faith in her,” Johnson said.
Junior Eliza Ball (5-6) played a big role in Farmington’s win over Providence Academy last season and will be expected to log a lot of minutes early in the season. Kaci Drain (5-3 sophomore), Amelia Fuqua (5-7 junior), and Madison Parsley (5-7 senior) have all expanded their roles.
“Hopefully, somewhere down the road we start to get healthy,” Johnson said. “When they come back in we’ve built some depth. Hopefully that will serve us well and carry us into postseason.”