Cards Out Of Tourney

COLD FOURTH NIXES STATE HOPES

FARMINGTON — Greenbrier (21-8) got on track in the fourth after suffering a turnover-plagued first half and posted a 52-40 win over tournament host Farmington (7-21) last Tuesday, Feb. 20.

The game was tied 21-21 at the half and Farmington held a 32-31 lead at the end of the third quarter, but the fourth and a state tournament berth belonged to Greenbrier. The Panthers outscored Farmington 21-8 in the fourth to eliminate the Cardinals from the tournament and end their season one win away from a state tournament bid.

“It just kind of seemed like deja vu,” said Farmington coach Beau Thompson. “We’ve lost probably 15 games like that in the fourth quarter. We shot 3-of-14 at the free throw line. Against good teams you need those points. The kids played extremely hard. There was nothing to hang their heads about. We executed pretty good, we just didn’t make enough shots to win.”

The Panthers had seven, almost half of their total 18 field goals in the final period. Farmington turned the ball over on an in-bounds play allowing Greenbrier to play the ball in underneath its own basket. Playing with four fouls A.J. Matthews scored to give the Panthers their first lead since 2-0. That bucket was part of an 8-0 Greenbrier run that included one of Kobe Dunlap’s five 3-pointers. He led Greenbrier with 15 points. Devin Clark had 13 points and Matthews nine.

Seniors Xavier Staten (11), Peyton Maxwell (10) and Jacob Gray (10) provided the bulk of Farmington’s scoring.

MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Farmington senior Xavier Staten scores a layup while a Greenbrier defender flops. The basket counted, but the Cardinals were defeated 52-40 and eliminated from the tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 20.