FARMINGTON -- Harrison's defense proved to be the difference in Friday's 41-30 win against Farmington at Cardinals Arena.
The Goblins' defense was so smothering that a bucket by Harrison's Champ Saylors in the closing seconds of the first half that made a 19-12 lead seem insurmountable to the Cardinals (18-8, 10-2 4A-1). If that wasn't enough, Harrison (19-6, 9-2) opened the second half with a 10-3 run that essentially put the game out of reach due to Farmington's shooting struggles.
"They had 17 and the two points they got to finish the half, it felt like a six-point shot because we only had 12 points," said Farmington coach Beau Thompson, whose team will still enter this week's 4A-1 Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed from the West. "We got good shots, shots we've made most of the year, but we just needed to take the lid off of the basket.
"We're not going to panic or anything like that, but to advance in the tournament, we're going to need to score more than 30 points."
Harrison's defense was the culprit behind the low scoring output. Carson Journagan blanketed Cardinals' top scorer Will Pridmore the entire game, and each time Pridmore tried to penetrate off the dribble, the senior ran into a double team.
The result was the Cardinals only hitting three field goals in the second and third quarters combined. They scored five quick points, including a 3-pointer by Pridmore, to close the margin to 13-11 to begin the second quarter, but only hit one free throw the rest of the half. Another 3-pointer by Pridmore served as the team's lone field goal in the third quarter.
"(Pridmore) is a load. He's a dangerous player," said Harrison coach David Stahler. "We tried to make him work for everything. Our team was aware of him, wherever he was at, at all times. We feel fortunate to hold him in check a little bit.
"We have a guy we feel like can really guard in Carson Journagan. He's a senior who has guarded a lot of great players, some of the best players in the state, so we are very confident in him and in his ability to guard. He did a very good job tonight."
Forced turnovers led to quick scores during Harrison's 10-3 run to open the second half. That included six straight points by Ben Elliot, who was his team's only player in double figures with 15 points. Pridmore finished with 17.
Harrison^13^6^14^8^--^41
Farmington^6^6^7^11^--^30
Harrison (19-6, 9-2): Elliott 15, Jorgensen 9, Saylors 6, Shrum 5, Gundry 2, Edwards 2, Martin 2.
Farmington (18-8, 10-2): Pridmore 17, Montez 6, Whitmore 3, Mayo 2, McKinley 2.
Girls
Harrison 55, Farmington 46
The Lady Goblins overcame an early deficit and hit enough free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Farmington (20-6, 9-3) had one of its worst shooting performances at home this season. The Lady Cardinals were 6 of 24 from 3-point range with all six made shots coming from two players, including four by Trinity Johnson. Her back-to-back 3-pointers trimmed Harrison's lead to 43-40 with 4:22 remaining in regulation. Harrison (21-4, 10-1), which trailed 15-14 at the end of the first quarter and 23-19 late in the first half, sank 9 of 13 free throws in the final 1:49 to secure the win.
Harrison sharp-shooter Brylie Parker led all scorers with 18 points while Caroline Cecil chipped in 12 and Marion Groberg added 10. Farmington was led by Makenna Vanzant with 15 points while Johnson finished with 13.
Girls
Harrison 55, Farmington 46
Harrison^14^9^13^19^--^55
Farmington^15^7^10^14^--^46
Harrison (21-4, 10-1): B. Parker 18, Cecil 12, Groberg 10, K. Parker 6, Shrum 6, Oleson 3.
Farmington (20-6, 9-3): Vanzant 15, Johnson 13, Culpepper 5, Tidwell 5, Kersey 4, Roach 4.
Sports on 02/09/2019