Lady Cardinals roll back into state final
FARMINGTON 69, NASHVILLE 35
FARMINGTON — The much-anticipated shootout between Farmington and Nashville in the semifinals Class 4A girls state tournament turned into a blowout Saturday afternoon at Cardinal Arena.
Farmington got off to a strong start in front of a jampacked crowd en route to a 6935 win to advance to the state final for the third straight year.
Farmington Coach Brad Johnson said his team played well on both ends of the floor, especially early.
“Obviously we shot it really well early and I thought defensively we played absolutely phenomenal,” Johnson said. “I thought we were great on the glass, really on both ends. I thought we really asserted ourselves in the paint.
“Kudos to our kids with the effort and the focus they had. … Our kids were locked in, and I think they fed off the energy in the building and we played really, really well.”
The two teams had met in the state final in each of the past two years, with Nashville winning on a last-second shot in 2022 and Farmington getting the win last year. This time, it was a semifinal showdown between the Lady Cardinals and Scrapperettes, and it wasn’t close.
The Lady Cardinals (361) led 32-20 at halftime and poured it on in the second half. Zoey Bershers’ three-pointer with 6:24 left in the fourth quarter invoked the running clock.
“I felt like Farmington played really well,” Nashville Coach Paul Dean said. “They came out and executed the game plan and they made the shots and plays they needed to make. They dotted their I’s and crossed their T’s. … We messed up a little bit and they made us pay for it every time we did. On offense we didn’t play as well, but you’ve got to give the credit for us not playing as well.”
Bershers, a 6-3 junior, finished with a game-high 18 points for the Lady Cardinals. Hannah Moss and Kaycee McCumber chipped in 12 points each and Reese Shirey added 10.
Moss made four three-pointers. It was Bershers’ lone three-pointer that gave Farmington a 62-30 lead and invoked the running clock.
Senior Shalyn Lyle was the only Nashville (29-5) player in double figures with 14 points.
MORRILTON 51, GRAVETTE 50
Morrilton (32-2) held on as Gravette misfired on a possible game-tying three-pointer, but scored on the putback as the final horn sounded. But Gravette just came up a point short.
Junior Aubrey Henderson led Morrilton with 17 points, while Johnna Brockman added 12. Alexa Parker led Gravette (2610) with a game-high 22 points, while Dalacie Wishon added 13 and Brynn Romine 11.
Morrilton led 30-16 at halftime, but managed just one field goal in the third quarter. Gravette (26-10) pulled within 37-34 entering the fourth quarter fueled by a 10-0 run.
The Lady Devil Dogs responded with a 7-0 run and took a 44-34 lead on a free throw by Brockman with 6:04 left in the fourth quarter. Gravette bounced back with an 8-0 spurt to get within 45-42 on a short jumper by Parker.
Parker’s basket pulled the Lady Lions within 50-48 with 19.0 seconds left. But Sophia Wahrmund made one of two free throws with 15.5 seconds remaining.