Physical Lady Pioneers finish runner-up at district
BERRYVILLE — If Brad Johnson wanted to simulate a hostile environment to challenge the Lady Cardinals, he got it against Gentry while winning the District 4A-1 girls’ basketball championship, 69-46, Saturday.
“I think Gentry’s really good and we’re going to have to win those types of games, those grind-it-out games, physical games. You may have to play in a hostile environment. You get in tournament time in a different part of the state, there’s going to be big crowds cheering against you and I thought our kids did a really good job of just focusing on what was going on on the floor and staying locked in. It was a good win,” Johnson said.
There were eight team fouls called against Farmington (301, 14-0) in the first quarter that ended with the Lady Cardinals leading 21-14. Before halftime Johnson had four players with two fouls apiece, Hannah Moss, Zoey Bershers, Reese Shirey and J’Myra London, sitting alongside him on the bench.
Farmington reserves more than made up for their absence in the second quarter. Marin Adams picked up a loose ball and stuck a 15-footer, while Morgan Uher hit a three off the bench as the Lady Cardinals fashioned a 14-5 run capped by Jenna Lawrence’s bucket on the low block over a double team.
Reese Hester’s 3-pointer for Gentry broke the run but the Lady Pioneers (22-9, 11-3) were down 35-22 and Adams answered with a trey of her own at the other end.
Alyssa McCarty’s driving layup kept Gentry within 40-26 at halftime but Farmington won for the third time this season in head-tohead matchups against Gentry and shut off the driving lanes, with Johnson praising the defensive efforts of J’Myra London.
“J’Myra had to be locked in every possession. You can’t give that kid [McCarty] space,” Johnson said. “J’Myra drew that assignment for a long time tonight.”
The Lady Pioneers slashed Farmington’s lead to nine points on a McCarty 3-pointer and Shelby Still’s bucket when Gentry inbounded underneath its own basket.
Farmington proved equal to the task. Shirey drilled a trifecta, then set up Bershers’ trey. London swiped an errant Gentry inbounds pass and fed Moss for a layup. Moss added a blocked shot. London added a layup on a Shirey assist to run the margin to 50-31.
Kaitlyn Caswell ended the run by sinking a three for Gentry, but again the Lady Pioneers gave up a 3-pointer at the other end, this time to Lawrence.
The physical play Johnson predicted materialized.
Late in the third quarter, McCumber got smashed in the face fighting for a rebound but that was ignored. As play continued, Caswell hit a three for Gentry at the other end, then a questionable foul was called on Lawrence after a Lady Pioneer miss, giving Gentry one more chance with an inbounds play, but they couldn’t score and faced a 20-point deficit, 57-37, at the end of the third quarter.
Both teams played reserves in the fourth.
Shirey scored 15 points to lead Farmington with Lawrence and London adding 14 apiece.
Caswell and McCarty finished with nine each for Gentry.