Taylor scores 61 for Farmington

BOYS

FARMINGTON 85, HUNTSVILLE 74

FARMINGTON — Layne Taylor smiled broadly after Friday’s game when asked if he was familiar with former Farmington guard Matt Wilson.

The smile on his face was an indication Taylor knew exactly what he had accomplished.

Taylor blitzed Huntsville for 61 points during Farmington’s 85-74 victory over Huntsville at the Farmington Cardinal Classic at Cardinal Arena. The 61 points by Taylor broke Farmington’s single-game scoring record that Wilson set with 50 points against Clarksville in 2017.

Taylor was just getting started when he finished the first quarter with 14 points.

He had 30 points by halftime and 45 points after three quarters. Taylor broke the school record in the fourth quarter when he spun into the lane, hesitated briefly while a Huntsville defender flew by, and made the shot for his 51st point with 4:11 left.

He added a few more points before leaving to a standing ovation from his teammates and Farmington fans with 58.4 seconds remaining.

“I wasn’t even thinking about the [scoring] record,” Taylor said. “I was just trying to win. My teammates were able to find me. They’re the reason I was able to do it.”

Taylor’s teammates recognized the hot hand early and kept feeding him throughout the game. Taylor also created shots for himself whether on 3-point attempts or with spin moves and drives to the basket.

“We have a lot of unselfish kids that give him the opportunity to go score,” Farmington Coach Johnny Taylor said of his son, a sophomore guard. “If you don’t have great teammates that want you to do that [set a record], then you don’t have that opportunity.”

Farmington improved to 9-0 while Huntsville fell to 5-2 with its second consecutive defeat. Hayden Dotson scored 31 points and Mason Davidson 15 for the Eagles.

The three- day Cardinal Classic will conclude this after with Farmington playing Hot Springs Lakeside at 2:30 p.m. The Farmington Junior Varsity and Lakeside B team will play a preliminary game at 1 p.m.

Huntsville only trailed 43- 38 at halftime despite 30 points from Taylor, who made five of Farmington’s six 3-pointers in the first half. Taylor scored 13 consecutive points in the second quarter but the Eagles stayed close behind the play of Dotson, who had 17 points at halftime. Dotston drew Huntsville to within 35-34 on two free throws and a three-point play. But Farmington finished strong with a 3-pointer from Logan Burch and a rebound basket by Carson Dearing that beat the buzzer at halftime.

BENTONVILLE WEST 75, HOT SPRINGS LAKESIDE 65

Riley Buccino scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the Wolverines past the Rams.

Tucker Anderson added 18 points and Cade Packnett 15 for Bentonville West, which broke the game open in the third quarter. Buccino led the surge with 12 points in the third quarter, including a 3-pointer, a reverse layup, and two free throws to give Bentonville West a 4631 lead.

Taevon Johnson scored 14 points and Alveon Harris 12 to lead Hot Springs Lakeside.

Taylor