Berry’s hot hand leads Farmington

FARMINGTON 64, SILOAM SPRINGS 34

FARMINGTON — Jaxon Berry dons the “0” jersey for Farmington’s boys basketball team this season.

His performance Tuesday night is a good reason why the Cardinals enjoy the same number in the loss column so far this season.

The junior had 20 points in the first half and finished with 33, while Layne Taylor and Caleb Blakely added double-double performances as Farmington remained unbeaten with a 64-34 decision over Siloam Springs in Cardinal Arena.

“It probably started feeling different right after I hit my fourth 3-pointer in a row,” Berry said. “I just felt hot, and it felt good. My teammates were relying on me. We were struggling in the first half and I was hitting most of the points. I hit the shots and helped my team stay in the game.”

Berry’s third 3- pointer closed out the first-quarter scoring and gave him 13 as Farmington (13-0) jumped out to a 20-8 lead. Siloam Springs ( 5-5) did pull within 28-23 on Nate Vachon’s 3-pointer midway through the second quarter, but Berry’s 20th point allowed the Cardinals to enjoy a 32-24 halftime cushion.

After a trade of buckets to start the second half, Berry’s fifth 3-pointer ignited a 14-0 Farmington run and made it a 48-26 game. The Cardinals went to take a 50-28 lead in the third quarter, and Berry reached the 30-point mark on an impressive note with a steal near midcourt and a dunk with 7:15 remaining.

“Jaxon Berry played great,” Farmington coach Johnny Taylor said. “We knew, because of the way they guard us, they was going to put one on Layne, three at the front up top and one at the rim. I think we did a good job picking on the one at the rim.

“I thought Caleb Blakely did some good things in the second half. Once Layne figures out, and he did in the second half, he didn’t have to shoot it but get the other guys some shots. We are still down two players, so I was proud of our guys not getting into foul trouble and being smart enough to play.”

Layne Taylor finished with 10 points and 13 assists while Blakely had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Farmington, which travels Friday to Berryville for the 4A-1 Conference opener. Vachon and Dalton Newman each had nine points for Siloam Springs, which travels to Rogers for a nonconference game Thursday.

FARMINGTON 68, SILOAM SPRINGS 25

Jenna Lawrence had 16 points in the first quarter, and Farmington held Siloam Springs scoreless for more than 14 minutes to put the game out of reach.

The Lady Cardinals (11-1) enjoyed a 26-0 cushion after one quarter and had a 36-0 lead before the Lady Panthers ( 4- 6) broke their scoreless drought when Brooke Ross scored with 1:57 before halftime. Farmington led 43-4 at halftime and 55-18 after three quarters.

Lawrence, an Arkansas signee, finished with 25 and was the only Lady Cardinal in double figures. Ross had 10 points for Siloam Springs, which returns to action Friday against Fort Smith Northside.