Blackhawks lose first district game

— Whew!

It was as if somebody brought dogs to a bird fight, as Pea Ridge and Farmington fought tooth and nail for the lead of the 4A-1 District. It came down to free throws with the Cardinals making 12 of 13 charity tosses in the final two minutes to take a 72-61 victory over the Blackhawks.

While shooting well from the perimeter and doing well on the backboards, the ’Hawks’ inability to stop Farmington’s numerous baskets via quick hitting lay-ups proved to be their undoing. The Cards sank 14 lay-ups as opposed to Pea Ridge’s five such scores.

The game started well enough for the ’Hawks as a bucket by Joe Adams underneath along with a 5-footer by Cameron Thompson gave Pea Ridge a 4-0 lead in the games’ first two minutes. However, the Cards knotted the score 4-4 seconds later on a lay-up, steal and another lay-up.

With the Cardinal defenders covering senior Kasey Cooper every time he neared the 3-point line, the veteran forward crossed up the defense by letting a shot fly from well behind the 3-point mark, resulting in a 7-4 lead for the ’Hawks. Farmington didn’t trail long, though, as they ran in two lay-ups, hit a 3-pointer and sank a free throw to jump ahead 12-7.

Cooper then hit another trey but the Cards dropped in still another lay-up along with two free throws to expand the lead to 16-10. Thompson’s lone free throw cut the lead to 5 but a Farmington score in the paint that was quickly followed by a lay-up off a Pea Ridge turnover ballooned the Cardinal lead to 20-11. A slashing drive to the bucket by Jacob Hall earned him a score and free throw which he sank to shrink the deficit to 6 points. After a flurry of turnovers by both sides, the Cards wound up on the free throw line in the quarter’s final seconds. Both shots were rippedto leave the Cards in charge 22-14 at the buzzer.

Dakota Woodward started off the second quarter by sinking a 3-pointer. Farmington then dropped in a lay-up which wascountered by a Thompson lay-up as Farmington led 24-19 with six minutes left in the half.

The Cards responded by scoring off a rebound then making two of two free throws to grab a 28-19 lead. Cooper then made a short jump shot which was followed by a Thompson double fake and lay-up to cut the Card lead back to 5.

Farmington made a jump shot but consecutive 3-point shots by Hall and Cooper got the ’Hawks suddenly to within a single point, trailing 30-29 with just over two minutes left in the half. While Cooper made a pair of free throws in the half’s waning moments, the Cardinals came up with a pair of field goals and free throws to go into the intermission up 36-31.

A free throw by Woodward and a rebound shot by Cooper got the ’Hawks back to within two at 36-34 early in the third quarter.

However, a ‘Hawk turnover led to a Farmington lay-up to put the home boys back up by four.

Adams then sank a pair of free throws but Farmington scored on a short jump shot and one underneath to widen the gap to 42-36.

Adams hit a free throw with Thompson converting a pair of offensive rebounds but Farmington hit a lay-up and 3-pointer to match the ’Hawks’ efforts. Hall stroked a pair of free throws with Thompson laying one off the glass to keep the ’Hawks close to Farmington, trailing 52-45 with a minute left in the period. With the Cards trying to slow things down, Woodward picked theFarmington guards’ pocket and drove down the floor for a lay-up to cut the lead to 52-47 at the end of the third period.

The final quarter was set up for showdown and the action was fast and furious. The ’Hawks’ first three possessions were highlighted by ’Hawks getting numerous second chances on offensive rebounds with bodies flying and falling until whistles were finally blown. Although stopped by fouls, Adams, Cooper and Thompson converted five of six free throws to knot the score at 52-52, their first tie since the game’s early moments. Farmington quickly scored a lay-up but Thompson scored one himself seconds later to re-tie the score at 54-54. A bad ’Hawk pass led to a breakaway Cardinal lay-up to put the ’Hawks in the hole again.

With the ’Hawks controlling the offensive boards, the Cards became even intense on defense with a ’Hawk shooter getting body slammed to the floor. The shaken player missed both free throws with the Cards grabbing the rebound to race down the floor for another lay-up and a 58-54 lead with 3:28 left in the game. A pair of ’Hawk turnovers led to a pair of Cardinal lay-ups and a free throw as Farmington shot ahead 63-54 with just 1:38 left in the game.

With Farmington content to run the clock out, the ’Hawks were forced to foul quickly to get the ball back, hoping the Cards wouldn’t convert. Levi Roughton sank a free throw seconds later to cut it to 63-55 but the quickfoul three seconds later backfired when Farmington made both shots. Cooper then sank a trey to get Pea Ridge to within 7; the quick foul following the shot saw the Cards make only one of two.

The ’Hawks lost the chance to cut it 5 or 6 points when they suffered their 13th turnover which led to two more Card free throws. Cooper hit another long shot to cut the deficit to 68-61 with 0:48 left but the ’Hawks would not hit again as the Cardinals got four more free throw opportunities in the game’s last 30 seconds, making them all for the final 72-61 decision.

Cooper led the scoring with 23 point with Thompson tossing in 17. Sophomore Hall had 8 points, with classmate Adams picking up 6 points. Woodward scored 6 with Roughton rounding out the scoring with 1.

The loss dropped the ’Hawks into second place in the 4A-1, alone with a single loss at 5-1.

Farmington leads the league with a 7-0 mark but must return to Pea Ridge in February for the rematch. The ’Hawks have to make up road games at Ozark and Shiloh and the locals played Gentry at home Tuesday night.

***

Basketball 4A◊1 CONFERENCE

Girls

Farmington 53, Pea Ridge 30

Pea Ridge 8 4 8 10 - 30

Farmington 14 10 15 14 - 53

Pea Ridge (5-12, 1-5): Winn 15, Gibson 7, Beard 3, Hargiss 3, Harris 2.

Farmington (12-8, 5-2): Crisp 14, Lewis 14, Jones 10, Journagan 6, Rhame 3, Sigmon 3, Oxford 3.

Boys

Farmington 72, Pea Ridge 61

Pea Ridge 14 17 16 14 - 61

Farmington 22 14 16 20 - 72

Pea Ridge (15-4, 5-1): Cooper 24, Thompson 17, Hall 8, Adams 6, Woodward 6, Roughton 1.

Farmington (15-4, 7-0): Purdy 25, Buchanan 17, Leichner 12, Turner 10, Osnes 7, Woodward 1.

Sports, Pages 11 on 01/26/2011