Lady Cards Take Win Over Pottsville

FARMINGTON — There’s a difference between playing with a sense of urgency and one of desperation. Farmington exercised the former while Pottsville succumbed to the latter and got eliminated 56-51.

The trap was set but never sprung as 4A-1 No. 2 Farmington avoided an upset bid by 4A-4 No. 3 seed Pottsville, executing well down the stretch and winning 56-51.

The Lady Cardinals avoided falling in a “trap-game” to pull off a dramatic come-frombehind victory, punching a ticket to state. Farmington never led until about a minute into the fourth quarter when Carson Dillard canned an 18-footer breaking a 37-37 tie.

Pottsville’s one-two scoring punch of point guard Lindsey Aday (21 points) and post Rilee Underwood (12), who has more size than anyone on the Lady Cardinal roster, posed matchup problems throughout the contest and combined for 33 points. The Lady Apaches defended Farmington’s running game limiting the Lady Cardinals’ opportunities to get out into transition.

The lead changed hands five times over the next four minutes. The last tie (51-51) came on an Underwood bucket in the lane. Farmington’s seasoned veterans, senior forward Tori Kersey (19 points) and junior guard Dillard (13) produced all 19 Lady Cardinal points in the fourth, responding each time Pottsville took the lead and keeping the pressure on the Lady Apaches.

Kersey drove hard to the goal, forcing Pottsville to foul her and made 1-of-2 free throws to put Farmington ahead for good, at 52-51, at the 2:06 mark of the fourth. Pottsville put up a wild shot that didn’t touch the backboard and went out-of-bounds.

The Lady Apaches would get more chances than Farmington coach Brad Johnson preferred, but panic set in and they couldn’t cash their chips. Trinity Johnson fell, losing possession, and Pottsville controlled the loose ball with a player on the floor. Pottsville coach Drew Siebenmorgen called time with 1:32 to go, but the Lady Apaches looked frazzled. Aday missed a jumper and Kersey rebounded.

Farmington showed poise going into a delay then finding Kersey alone on the low block for a layup and a 3-point lead of 54-51 with 51 seconds left. Pottsville forced up a 3-point attempt with Kersey in the face of the shooter. The shot didn’t fall and Trinity Johnson yanked down the important rebound.

After Pottsville fouled, Farmington eventually inbounded from the side with Dillard taking a handoff and drawing a foul. She sank both ends of a 1-and-1, giving Farmington a five-point cushion with just over half-a-minute to play.

Pottsville again went for a desperation three that missed. Underwood made a heroic effort, securing an offensive rebound while falling down in the paint, yet managed to kick the ball out to a teammate on the perimeter. Harmony Garner got off another three from the left corner only to have Brye block the shot and when time did expire the sun went down on the Lady Apaches’ season while Farmington advanced to Friday’s semifinal and assured itself of a chance to defend its 2020 crown in the 2021 Class 4A State Tournament.

Pottsville led 18-15 after one quarter and increased that to 30-24 at halftime. The Lady Apaches led by as many as 11 points on a 3-pointer nearly two minutes into the third quarter, but could never quite shake Farmington.

Junior forward Morgan Brye hit back-to-back treys for the defending Class 4A state champions. The first came on an in-bounds play underneath the basket when Trinity Johnson found her open at the top-of-the-key. She drilled another on an assist from Kersey.

Aday hit a short- range jumper over a double-team, pushing the Lady Apaches’ lead back to seven, at 37-30, but Farmington freshman Reese Shirey knocked down a 3-pointer on an in-bounds play from the side and Kersey quickly followed that up with a driving basket.

Neither team scored for the next two minutes before Kersey’s blocked shot got Megan Hernandez a fast-break layup tying the game at 37-37 going into the final quarter.