FARMINGTON -- Zoey Bershers has doubled her scoring average from a season ago, but that's only a small part of her contribution to the Farmington Lady Cardinals' drive back to the Class 4A state championship game.
Farmington (36-1) will take on Morrilton in the state final at 6 p.m. today at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs. The Lady Cardinals rolled over the Lady Devil Dogs 56-25 less than two weeks ago in the regional final.
In Farmington's 66-35 state semifinal win over Nashville on Saturday, the 6-3 junior finished with 18 points, but also added 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 blocked shots.
Impressive numbers against a team the Lady Cardinals defeated in the state final a year ago.
But Farmington Coach Brad Johnson said it doesn't stop there.
"She's a kid who's shooting over 66% from two-point range. That's just silly," Johnson said. "When we do an effective field goal percentage, which includes three-point percentage, she's still over 60%. She's shooting 30-plus% from three-point range.
"The versatility she plays with is big. Obviously she's strong around the basket, but she's also a tremendous passer from inside the post."
Johnson pointed out fans who watched the Nashville game also got to see another aspect of her game. Bershers was used to help against the Scrapperettes' full-court press. With her size, she has the court vision to help break the pressure combined with her passing ability to trigger the transition game as well.
"That's an expansion of her game from last year to this year," Johnson said. "She just does so many things to help us win."
Bershers also is a strong rim protector, which was especially helpful against the aggressive Scrapperettes. She already has the Farmington career record for blocked shots with a year left.
"Our guards don't have to worry as much if somebody gets by them on the bounce," Johnson said. "They have confidence they can really extend the pressure with what we have sitting at the rim. And for the most part, she does that consistently without racking up fouls."
Bershers credited Johnson and her teammates with some increased confidence this season.
"I knew I could do it, it's just the fact of getting it done," Bershers said. "I feel like I've got it done more this year more than I did last year. I know Coach Johnson and my teammates have complete trust in me and that helps a lot."
With a year left in high school, Bershers has multiple Division I scholarship offers from Southern Mississippi, Loyola Marymount and BYU. She also has an offer from Alabama-Birmingham that comes with the bonus of the possibility of playing with her sister Tracey. Her other sister, Sara, is also a redshirt senior at UAB.
Bershers said her sisters and father have helped contribute to her game.
"They have both played in big games, and both have won state championships," Bershers said. "We sat down and watched games with our dad. He'd walk us through things, and he helped grow my basketball IQ."
Johnson said one thing that helps Bershers stand out is her ability to do a variety of things to help her team be successful, whether that is on the court or off it.
"She's good at a lot of different things and does the things that impacts winning," Johnson said. "It doesn't have to be flashy, it just needs to be effective."
Something Bershers has been able to do consistently in her basketball career is win.
4A girls
FARMINGTON VS. MORRILTON
TIME 6 p.m. today
PROBABLE STARTERS
FARMINGTON
POS, PLAYER HT CL
G J’Myra London 5-7 Sr.
G Reese Shirey 5-6 Sr.
G Hannah Moss 5-7 Sr.
F Marin Adams 6-0 Jr.
F Zoey Bershers 6-3 Jr.
COACH Brad Johnson
CONFERENCE 4A-1
RECORD 36-1
POSTSEASON RESULTS def. Ozark 67-37 (regional first round), def. Dardanelle 61-29 (regional semifinal), def. Morrilton 56-25 (regional final), def. Clinton 71-32 (state second round), def. Nashville 69-35 (state semifinal)
X-FACTOR Zoey Bershers
MORRILTON
POS, PLAYER HT CL
F Johnna Brockman 5-10 Sr.
F Jessi Hunt 5-11 Sr.
G Aubrey Henderson 5-7 Jr.
G Sophia Wahrmund 5-5 Sr.
G Jennifer Hartman 5-11 Sr.
COACH Carin McNabb
CONFERENCE 4A-4
RECORD 32-2
POSTSEASON RESULTS def. Shiloh Christian 41-29 (regional first round), def. Gravette 36-31 (regional semifinal), lost to Farmington 56-25 (regional final), def. Magnolia 64-42 (state first round), def. Pulaski Academy 41-33 (state second round), def. Gravette 51-50 (state semifinal)
X-FACTOR Jennifer Hartman
NOTEWORTHY
Farmington was ranked No. 1 while Morrilton was unranked in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Class 4A girls preseason Super Six poll. … The appearance in today’s final will be the first for Morrilton since 2009. The Lady Devil Dogs won state titles in 2003 and 2006. … The Lady Cardinals are in the title game for the fifth year in a row and are looking for their second straight championship. … When the teams played on Feb. 24, Morrilton didn’t score a field goal over the final 19 minutes. … Adams scored 22 points in the 2023 title game vs. Nashville.
— Erick Taylor
Clinton Yellowjackets Junior Kayden Brown (5) tries to get around Farmington Cardinals Junior Zoey Bershers (24) during the 4A state quarterfinal basketball game at Cardinal Arena, Farmington High School, Febuary 29, 2024, Farmington, Arkansas (Special to NWA Democrat-Gazette/Brent Soule)