Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Farmington Girls Make Waves At State
FARMINGTON — Coming into Monday’s quarterfinal game at the State 5A girls basketball tournament hosted by Greene County Tech at Paragould, Batesville coach Stan Fowler had concerns about Farmington’s Hopkins’ sisters.
The sophomore point guard Tayton (19) and senior post Tahlon (11) had combined for 30 points in Farmington’s tourney-opening 45-26 win over No. 4 seed Magnolia (5A South) on March 3. Nearly a week had passed since part of the first-round was completed. Because of snow across the region, Farmington had to wait until Sunday to find out who their opponent would be Monday.
The Lady Cardinals, seeded No. 1 from the West, were matched against a tall Magnolia squad but exploited the zone by pounding the glass. Farmington claimed three offensive rebounds on their first possession and gave Magnolia trouble on the boards throughout. Farmington went ahead, 16-7, and, 28-12, at the quarter breaks, held a 34-22 lead at end of the third quarter and kept control of the contest by only allowing 4 Magnolia points for the entire fourth. Tayton Hopkins had 11 points in the first quarter using her quickness and tenacity for getting to the basket, which Magnolia could not counter.
Batesville (No. 2 East, 17-10, 7-7) defeated Sylvan Hills (No. 3 East, 14-12) by a margin of 61-54 on Sunday behind 28 points from sophomore Hannah Qualls, who hit her first 3-pointer of the year against Sylvan Hills. Meanwhile Farmington coach Brad Johnson was looking at Batesville’s scouting report. Batesville led 59-40 with three and a half minutes to go but let Sylvan Hills get back in the contest with a 14-2 run over the last 2:30. Had the run started one minute earlier the game could have had a different outcome. Batesville struggled to put Sylvan Hills away, making just 10 of 20 free throws.
The question was, could Farmington with a veteran team led by senior Kristi DuChanois, who had twice reached the state semifinals in 4A as a member of the Lady Cardinals, capitalize on Batesville’s youth and inexperience? Through 26 games with a 22-4 record and 5A West Conference title, Johnson was getting quality production from several players. Starters Tahlon Hopkins (12.7 points, 6.1 rebounds), Tayton Hopkins ( 7.5 points, 1.8 steals), DuChanois ( 9.2 points, 6.3 rebounds),Trish O’Connell (7.8 points, 1.6 steals), and Maria McPherson (5.0 points), were part of a 2014 team which reached the 4A state semifinals before losing to eventual champion Malvern. DuChanois came up as a freshman getting considerable playing time due to injuries during Farmington’s 2012 state runner-up finish.
That question was answered in Monday’s contest as Farmington came out on top during a see-saw battle against Batesville, 66-54. After Farmington jumped out to an 11-4 lead, Fowler sent in Kendra Kelley and the junior keyed a rally. Batesville hit a trio of 3-pointers with Kelley, Hayes and Qualls dialing up from long-range. Batesville claimed a 17-13 lead after one period thanks to a 13-2 run. Farmington countered with a 10-2 surge to go in front, 23-19, before Batesville finished the first half with a second run of 10-4.
Qualls had scored a number of her baskets against Sylvan Hills on the run by running the floor and beating them down court. She had 9 in the first half but managed only 3 in the second half against the Lady Cardinals. Johnson wanted to ensure Qualls and Batesville didn’t continue to get those types of scoring opportunities in the second half, so he tweaked his defense, switching to a zone and emphasizing getting back in transition.
Farmington outscored Batesville 16-9 in the third to secure a 43-38 lead, which they upped to 51-42 with 5:33 left. Four girls accounted for most of Farmington’s points, O’Connell, 18; Tayton Hopkins, 17; DuChanois, 16; and Tahlon Hopkins, 13.
The Lady Cardinals advanced to a Tuesday state semifinal contest against Hot Springs, No. 1 5A South, a 45-34 winner over Valley View, No. 3 5A East.
Tuesday’s State 5A basketball semifinal tournament game involving the Farmington girls was played after our press deadline. See today’s Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for details.