Farmington rallies in second half to defeat Harrison in district title game

Lady Cardinals senior Carson Dillard scored 26 of her game-high 32 points in the second half.

By Steve Andrews | Photos by Sadie Rucker

PEA RIDGE — Farmington senior Carson Dillard scored 26 of her game-high 32 points in the second half Saturday, as the Lady Cardinals had to overcome a rare halftime deficit to knock off Harrison in the championship game of the girls 4A-1 Conference tournament.

During one stretch in the second half, Dillard scored 17 straight Farmington points, and the Lady Cardinals (28-1) outscored Harrison 46-21 after the break to claim the top seed in next week’s Regional Tournament.

“Harrison was very physical with us in the first half, and I thought they clogged up the lane and did a tremendous job defensively,” Farmington coach Brad Johnson said. “They were challenging us from the 3-point line, and we didn’t get a lot of rebounds on either end in the first half.”

Senior Madison Bell scored all 12 of her points in the first half for the Lady Goblins, and sophomore Reese Ricketts score eight of her team-high 20 before halftime. A layup by Clare Barger sent Harrison (11-12) to the locker room with a 38-33 advantage.

“Farmington is a great team, and we wanted to come out and focus on being aggressive and being physical,” Harrison coach Stacie Klott said. “I thought we did a really good job with working our inside game. The second half they got free on some shots, and it doesn’t take long when they are hitting 3-pointers. I think we got a little tired and let up a little bit defensively, but I am really proud of our girls. They worked so hard and did not quit.”

A pair of threes from junior Jenna Lawrence early in the third quarter pulled the Lady Cardinals to within two and seemed to light the fire. Lawrence’s hard drive to the basket put Farmington ahead 46-45 midway through the period. Dillard’s triple from the wing then opened the flood gates.

“At halftime, we really just challenged our kids to meet that aggression that Harrison was bringing to us, and I though that in the second half, the pace of play became a factor,” Johnson said. “I thought we did a lot better job defensibly, being able to choke off some stuff in the paint. Once we started getting some turnovers we were able to convert them.

“Carson Dillard played phenomenally. We put a lot on her shoulders, offensively and defensively, and I though she really performed great. Then once she got going, everyone else started getting involved. It was a total team effort and I’m really proud of them.”

Another three and a pair of free throws from Dillard extended the lead to 55-48. She then opened the four quarter with a personal 8-0 run to stretch the lead to 14.

“They came out really physical to start the game,” Dillard said. “To be honest with you, we just took a punch in the face, so to speak, in the first half. But in the second half we just came back out and took care of business. We were able to make some shots, make our free throws, and we were able to increase our lead.

“They were face-guarding me, so I figured if I just kept moving around the whole time, I could get open. If they came up on me I knew I could get the ball to someone else who was open, and we could score that way. I felt way more zoned in in the second half that I did the first half.”

After Ricketts and sophomore Anabelle Massengale converted a couple of conventional 3-point plays for Harrison late in the game, cutting the margin to 12, Lawrence hit the dagger for the Lady Cardinals, a triple right in from of Farmington’s bench. The Arkansas Razorback commit finished with 23 points, with three buckets coming beyond the arc.

Farmington will host the 4A North Regional Tournament next week, and open with a matchup against Ozark (12-13).

“This was a big step getting the No. 1 seed heading into regionals,” Dillard said. “Now we just need to go out and do the same thing, and take care of business.”

Klott is proud that Harrison made it to the conference championship game and is pleased with how her Lady Goblins are playing heading into Regionals.

“From where we were at in the beginning of the year, we have made huge strides,” she said. “Our goal is to get to state, so we are happy we are in Regionals right now. Hopefully we can get that done.”

Consolation game

Junior Alyssa McCarty hit six 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 23 points and led Gentry to a 41-31 defeat on Prairie Grove in the girls’ consolation game Saturday.

Sophomore Emma Tevebaugh finished with 12 points for the Lady Pioneers, after hitting a pair of threes in the first half, then going 6 for 6 at the line in the fourth quarter.

Junior Ella Faulk led the Lady Tigers with 10 points.