Rainbows Danced: Dillard, Johnson Net 3-Pointers

FARMINGTON — Rainbows danced, leaving glittering trails in their wake after leaving the hands of Farmington 3-point shooters, Carson Dillard and Trinity Johnson, ascending to the rafters of Devil Dog Gym.

When gravity brought them back down, they snapped the net more times than Mena cares to remember.

Swish, onomatopoeia!

In this arena skeptics said it wouldn’t happen where Morrilton hosted the Class 4A State girls basketball tournament that Dillard and Trinity Johnson, daughter of Farmington girls basketball coach Brad Johnson, combined to knock down 14, count them, trifectas during Friday’s 72-47 quarterfinal victory over Mena (22-4) that sent the Lady Cardinals (21-7) back to the Class 4A semifinals for the second-straight year.

Their next opponent along the journey towards a whole-hearted endeavor to win an outright state championship, an opportunity Farmington felt the sting of deprivation of 24 hours before the 2020 State Finals were scheduled to tip- off, Pulaski Academy — coached by Rick Treadway, didn’t think 3-point shooting would be a preferred option at the 2021 state tournament site.

Treadway was quoted by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette as stating, “Ever since regionals, we’ve been preaching that [Devil Dog Arena] is a big gym that’ll be hard to shoot in,” prior to the Lady Bruins’ 43-41 win in another state quarterfinal Friday against Pea Ridge.

Dillard and Trinity Johnson clearly didn’t pay any attention, taking turns filling up the basket from downtown.

In all the Lady Cardinals nailed 15 total 3-point field goals.

Dillard made 9 treys, notching a game-high 29 points, while Trinity Johnson added 18 points making 5 triples.

Mena held a 9- 8 lead five minutes into the first quarter when Trinity Johnson began to light up the basket. The senior, who signed with Southwestern Oklahoma in November, scored a dozen points in the last three minutes of the first quarter as the Lady Cardinals opened up a 20-14 lead.

Dillard got going, draining six 3-pointers in the second quarter highlighted by three consecutive treys sparking an 11-3 Lady Cardinal run. First Dillard, then Johnson sank threes to cap the second quarter establishing a 20- point advantage for Farmington (47-27) at halftime.

Dillard set up on the right wing as the Lady Cardinals advanced the ball across the timeline. For a fraction of a second, a Mena defender chose to cover the ball-handler at the top-of-the-key. That was all Dillard needed as she stroked the three. With time winding down, Trinity Johnson caught the ball on the right wing out of a half-court set. A Lady Bearcat trailing her quickly jumped in her face only to watch in dismay as Trinity Johnson

utilized a lateral dribble to free herself by moving into the corner where she busted a trey.

In the third quarter, lest Mena concentrate on guarding the 3-point line, Farmington went to another viable option with Tori Kersey scoring 10 points in the third period fueling the Lady Cardinal offense. The 5-feet11 senior finished with 14 points, finding creative ways to get open in the paint. She threw a cross- court pass from the left wing then cut into the key where she got the ball back and snapped a short-range jumper.

Mena was led by Gracie Lyle with 18 points.