Arkansas high school boys basketball state tournament: Little Rock Christian to face Farmington in 4A title game
Sophomore sensation J.J. Andrews had to fight off flu-like symptoms this week, heading into the boys Class 4A State Tournament, but he was able to shake the crud and finish the weekend with a bang.
The 6-foot-6 Little Rock Christian big man tallied a double-double Saturday night – turning in 23 points and 12 rebounds, along with 3 assists and 2 steals – in the Warriors’ 53-43 win over a pesky Brookland team that kept up the fight.
“Brookland is a really good basketball team, and they were really, really good in here tonight,” LRC head coach Kyle Pennington said. “That was a tough battle, but you’ve got to give it to our guys. Their resiliency to go back. We’ve been here before, now we’re trying to go get another one. This isn’t the one we want. We don’t want the ticket. We want the trophy.”
Little Rock Christian beat Brookland for the second time in two weeks.
The Warriors will get that opportunity Thursday at 7:45 p.m., when the face Farmington for the state title.
“I think that our guys just wanted that game more than anything,” Pennington said about his team’s effort. “Everybody has wanted this matchup and the state’s going to get it. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
LRC slid out to an 11-5 lead Saturday, before stretching it to seven, heading into the half.
Jameel Wesley opened the second half with a three, then drained another from the top of the key, midway through the third quarter to put the Warriors ahead, 27-14. Wesley finished with 12 points and 2 rebounds.
The Bearcats would not relent, continuing to come up with big plays to stay afloat. Senior Carson Holladay’s 12-foot jumper at the buzzer, cut the lead to 34-23, heading to the final quarter.
Brookland then got a couple of treys from Tyler Parham early in the fourth, then canned a short bucket to 36-33 midway through the frame.
Landren Blocker got loose for his second dunk of the night, following by an Andrews 3-pointer to extend the lead back to nine with 3:50 remaining.
Blocker finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds and a pair of steals.
“We’ve been in this position before, so we knew what it took – we knew we just had to keep our heads in it,” Blocker said. “Knowing that this game was going to go punch by punch, we knew that whoever threw the last punch was going to win the game. We just had to stay locked in.”
Another Parhan triple got the lead briefly back to six, but Blocker converted a pair of driving lay-ins to put the game away.
Farmington 70, Little Rock Mills 53
Farmington Head Coach Johnny Taylor hasn’t advanced to a state championship basketball game since he led Rosebud to the 3A title back in 2008. He will finally get there again Thursday night, when his Cardinals take on Little Rock Christian for the 4A championship in Hot Springs.
“Well, it’s more special than it’s ever been, because I’m getting to do it with my son,” Taylor said.
But after Farmington dispatched Little Rock Mills, 70-53, in Saturday’s state semifinals, on the Cardinals’ home court, all Taylor wanted to do was brag on the effort of his entire team.
“Let me tell you something – Jaxon Berry played his freaking butt off out there today,” an excited Taylor said. “He just played phenomenal and I’m just so proud of Jaxon.
“I thought our 3-2 defense was good. Maddox Teeter, Sam Kirkman, Jaxon Berry and Mason Simpson all played great defensively and rebounded the ball. Just so proud of our guys.”
The Cardinals and Comets battled to a near stalemate in the first quarter, until Berry’s putback at the buzzer extended Farmington’s lead to 20-17.
Teeter opened the second quarter with the first of his two 3-pointers, as the Cardinals took a 40-32 lead into the half.
Mills outscored Farmington 12-10 in the third quarter, but still found themselves down six, heading into the fourth.
Taylor finished off a conventional three-point play late in the game, hitting a driving bucket in the lane, followed by a free throw, to boost the lead to 10. Taylor scored 12 of his game-high 27 in the final period. He also finished with 4 assists and 2 rebounds.
Berry tallied a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Teeter finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds.
Junior Joseph Bell led the Comets with 14 points, while Zaylin Rowland chipped in 11.
--Steve Andrews | @SBLiveArk
