Farmington, Berryville to meet again for boys Regional title

Farmington won both meetings earlier this season.

By Steve Andrews I Photos by Karen Schwartz

FARMINGTON – It will be a rematch of the last week’s 4A-1 Conference championship game, when top-seed and host Farmington tangles yet again with No. 2 seed Berryville tonight for the 4A North Region basketball championship. The game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. at Cardinal Area.

Farmington got double-double outputs from both, sophomore Layne Taylor and junior Caleb Blakely, in a 75-50 victory over Harrison in the Region semifinals on Sunday. Berryville rode atop the shoulders of 6-foot-8 senior Weston Teague in a 69-48 win over Shiloh Christian in the other semifinal.

It will be the third time the Cardinals (29-1) and Bobcats (24-6) have faced off this season, with Farmington winning the first two matchups – a 50-41 victory at Berryville on Dec. 17, then last week’s 76-45 win in the conference finals in Pea Ridge.

“We know Berryville and Berryville knows us, so it’s just going to come down to who plays better, and who does a better job defensively and stays out of foul trouble,” Farmington coach Johnny Taylor said. “We are expecting it to be a very competitive game.”

Farmington 75, Harrison 50

The Goblins jumped out to an early 6-2 lead on a couple baskets from senior Abraham Glidewell, before the Cardinals bounced right back with a 12-0 over the next four minutes. Layne Taylor scored on a putback and was 6-for-6 at the line during that spurt. Those last two free throws gave Farmington a 14-6 lead with 2:44 to play in the first quarter.

Taylor led all scorers with 35 points to go along with his 10 rebounds.

“We didn’t shoot it well, which just shows how versatile of a team we can be, offensively,” Coach Taylor said. “We made 15 threes in the district finals, but our starters made just one 3-pointer tonight.”

Farmington led 20-16 after the first quarter and but was still not able to shake Harrison in the second quarter. Junior Kason Hilligoss scored all 13 of his points for the Goblins in the first half, including three from beyond the arc. Hilligoss was on fire to start the second quarter, scoring eight points in the first two minutes. He grabbed a defensive rebound then took the ball the length of the court for a layup to put Harrison up 26-20.

That first half, (Harrison) Coach (David) Stahler did a great job of mixing in different matchups and we didn’t do a good job communicating of who we were guarding and what they were doing,” Coach Taylor said. “The second half we did a much better job of identifying their personnel.”

The Cardinals retook the lead with a 9-0 run, as Blakely and senior Mateo Carbonel each scored layups in transition. Blakely tallied 18 points and 13 rebounds in the contest, while Carbonel added 12 points and 8 rebounds.

“The effort guys like Caleb Blakely and Mateo Carbonel did rim-running and rebounding, and Caleb’s ability to just go make a one-on-one play tonight was huge for us,” Coach Taylor said. “We had a ton of nerves early, which of course, I didn’t really help because of the way I handled it. I was just frustrated that we weren’t playing off of our scouting report. But the second half, we looked like the team that we’ve been all year.”

Layne Taylor scored 27 of his total points in the second half, including going 12 of 14 from the foul line. His driving layup boosted the Farmington lead to 51-35 with 2:33 left in the third quarter. After Harrison scored six straight, Blakely ended the quarter with a tip-in just before the buzzer.

“Coach always tells me to just go out and use my athletic ability and my jumping ability,” Blakely said. “So, I just chase down every rebound I can. Depending on who is shooting it I have learned where the ball may go if it’s missed, so that helps a lot. A couple times I though the shots were going to be short, so I was able to tip them in.”

Blakely scored on a tip-in to start the fourth quarter, before Taylor scored the Cardinals’ next 12 points. He then hit Blakely with a nifty pass for the layup and a 71-47 advantage with less than two minutes to play.

At 6-foot-2, Blakely is the tallest player in the Cardinals’ starting lineup, which usually means he is guarding players much taller – like he will tonight against Teague, who has a six-inch advantage.

“Offensively, I just try to get them in foul trouble and have them sitting on the bench,” he said. “Defensively, I just try to front them and keep them from getting the ball inside. That’s the best chance I have against a big man.”

Berryville 69, Shiloh Christian 48

Senior Kennon Helmlinger scored 6 of his 8 points in the first quarter, as the Bobcats took control early against the Saints. A layup by Teague gave Berryville a 17-4 lead late in the first quarter, and the Bobcats went on cruise control.

That’s what you want to do, especially in these kinds of games, you want to get out fast and get the momentum,” Berryville coach Brent Compton said. “The kids did that, and we played pretty well. I think we just came out real determined. We wanted a chance to play in the championship game and our kids were motivated and relentless trying to get this win.”

Junior David Colbert’s three from the top of the key extended the lead to 32-16 late in the half, and the Bobcats went to the break with a 34-18 cushion.

Teague controlled thew paint throughout the contest, finishing with a game-high 19 points and 15 rebounds.

“Our plan was to come out and jump on them real quick, and that’s what we did,” Teague said. “We didn’t do that the last time we played them and had a tough game. But this time, we were ready for it and did what we needed to do.”

Shiloh began to get shots to fall in the third quarter, and actually outscored the Bobcats by a point. Senior John Caleb Philip score 7 of his team-high 12 points in the frame, but Berryville continued to respond.

Berryville put the game on ice at the free throw line in the fourth, draining 9 of 11 from the stripe. Teague played solid throughout the game, knowing his team put a lot of trust in him and his size. 

I’ve always been the tallest, so I’ve always had that responsibility,” he said with a laugh. “I have just tried to improve my game throughout my high school career. And I am just happy to have this opportunity to be on this amazing team.”

Compton is hoping the third time is a charm for his Bobcats against the Cardinals.

“We are happy to be playing in the championship, but we know we will have to play our best game to have a chance to win it,” he said. “If we don’t bring it, it could be a long night for us. We found that out last week. But if we give our best, we’ll compete.”