Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Farmington Girls Return To State Finals
FARMINGTON GIRLS RETURN TO STATE FINALS
— Farmington hasn’t won any sort of championship this girls basketball season yet the unheralded Lady Cardinals will go after the biggest prize of all Saturday.
Farmington knocked the last remaining No. 1 seed, Pulaski Academy (23-5) out of the Class 4A State girls basketball tournament by a 62-57 score in overtime last Saturday to earn its second straight berth in the Class 4A state championship, a game that wasn’t played last year because of concerns over covid-19.
They did it the hard way, coming into state as the North’s No. 3 seed, beating Southside Batesville (No. 2 East), 59-45, in a first-round game; then toppling Mena (No. 1 West), 72-47, in the quarterfinals and needing overtime before turning back, Pulaski Academy, another experienced team which also reached the 2020 state semifinals.
The coach’s daughter, senior guard Trinity Johnson, came up with one of the biggest defensive stops of her career when she stole the ball with the Lady Cardinals clinging to a 57-55 lead.
Trinity Johnson promptly turned her brief possession of the basketball into an assist to classmate Tori Kersey, whose bucket put the Lady Cardinals up by two scores, 59-55.
That four-point lead with the overtime clock down to 38 seconds proved a difference-maker.
Kersey recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists to lead Farmington. She also contributed 4 steals. Junior point-guard Carson Dillard added 14 points while Trinity Johnson had 10. Forward Megan Hernandez chipped in 8 points and helped Farmington hold its own on the boards with 7 rebounds.
It was one of those hotly decided
contests, Farmington coach Brad Johnson likes to refer to as a war of attrition while noting the Lady Cardinals made a play when the game was on the line.
“I’m really proud of our kids over the past few weeks. Their growth and maturity throughout this season has been so special to watch,” Brad Johnson said.
Pulaski Academy’s leading scorer Taylor Hernandez fouled out with 4:45 to go in the fourth quarter, which ended in a 53-53 tie. She finished with 18 points.
The Lady Bruins got noteworthy performances from Estella Gaberry (15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals), Natalya Kaza (11 points and 14 rebounds) and Riley Smith (10 points and 4 rebounds), but lost for the second straight year in the semifinals. Star City, which shared the 2020 championship with Farmington, slipped past Pulaski Academy, 55-53, in the 2020 semifinals.
Much of the attention during last week’s state tournament at Morrilton centered around Farmington’s opponent in the upcoming Class 4A State Finals, Harrison.
Harrison entered state as a No. 4 seed having lost the 4A North Regional consolation game on March 6 at Ozark, 63-61, to Farmington. Harrison had been ranked No. 1 much of the season after beating Farmington, 56-42, on January 8.
Farmington evened up the season series by knocking off then unbeaten Harrison, 76-64, in the semifinals of the District tournament on Feb. 25.
The Lady Cardinals were deprived of an opportunity to compete for a conference championship when the 4A-1 decided not to play the regular season final games and start the district tournament over concerns of snow in the forecast. Pea Ridge was awarded the conference crown for the 4A-1 West Division, then held off the Lady Cardinals, 51-46, in the district tournament finals.
Farmington lost 47-44 to Morrilton in the Regional semifinal, then scored the last 11 points of the game in dealing Harrison a 63-61 loss in the 4A North Regional consolation game.
Now comes a Class 4A State championship game between Farmington and Harrison scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday morning at Bank OZK Arena at Hot Springs.
Playing with a much-publicized chip on its shoulder after feeling like it underachieved in the Regional, Harrison beat No. 3 East Brookland, 49-41; then took down No. 1 South Star City, 62-57; and upended State tourney host, Morrilton, 54-48, on its home court in the semifinals.
Farmington, however, possesses its own unique motivation dating back to the 2020 finals. Brad Johnson notes that nearly a year to the date the Lady Cardinals arrived in Hot Springs on Thursday, March 12, 2020, settling into a motel in preparation for the 2020 State Finals which were set for Friday, March 13, 2020; Farmington qualified for a return trip to the finals.
“We didn’t get that moment because of covid, and here we are now,” Brad Johnson said. “We’ll get to go back and play that game and that’s a credit to those girls.”
There’s a mindset dangerous to opponents described three times in the Old Testament in 2 Samuel 17:8, Proverbs 17: 12 and Hosea 13: 8, fueling Brad Johnson and the Lady Cardinals, one of a bear robbed of her whelps.
“They’ve been very focused and have taken ownership of everything … win/losses, etc. From workouts, to film study, even therapy and recovery,” Brad Johnson said. “Every kid all the way down to the managers have just been locked in. [It’s] been a fun ride with them. We’ve got another tough one in front of us, but I’m thankful for the journey.”