FARMINGTON 54, SPRINGDALE HIGH 48

Springdale High guards Kenyatte Garrison and Edwin Aquino both hit 3-pointers in the third quarter that helped push the Red'Dogs into a fourth-quarter lead against Farmington on Tuesday. Garrison's 3-pointer handed Springdale its first lead of the night at 27-26 and Aquino's gifted Springdale a 34-33 lead as the fourth quarter began. Then Farmington's Matthew Wilson got loose, leading the Cardinals to a 54-48 win behind his 33-point effort. Wilson began the fourth with a 3-pointer, his fifth of the night, assisted on a Cade Fenton layup then all but sealed the win with a 4-point play. The 9-0 run, as well as Springdale's near six-minute drought, gave Farmington all the cushion it needed. "He's a special player. Tonight he shot the ball very well," Farmington basketball coach Beau Thompson said of Wilson, who finished 11 of 19 from the floor. "It was a slow-paced game, which is the way we wanted it. Sometimes it's hard to shoot it that well, but he opened the game really well for us and got us off to a good start. "I thought the difference in the game was the 4-point shot in the fourth." Wilson and Springdale forward Carl Fitch traded buckets in the early going. Wilson drained four from distance and Fitch responded with six points then another five before halftime. After one, Farmington held a 14-13 edge and only one other Cardinals player had scored. Fitch was efficient in the first half, scoring a team-high 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. For the game he finished 6-of-9 from the floor for 19 points. Joe Jibke followed with nine points on three 3-pointers. "We tried to adjust at halftime and tried to trap him a little more," Thompson said of Fitch. "He really hurt us in the first half. The (3-2 zone) is our base defense. We're not necessarily a tall team, but we're a long team. We've got to play to our strength and that's it." Getting the ball in Fitch's hands is a must for the Red'Dogs, Price said. "Carl can't shoot the ball enough and he knows he's got the green light," Price said. "Sometimes he had three guys around him. We're seeing a lot of these things for the first time at the varsity level. It's hard to simulate that stuff in practice, too." Wilson, a Delta State signee, entered Tuesday fresh off a 34-point performance against Prairie Grove. His 33 points were vital for Farmington in the win, but Thompson was also pleased with his handful of assists. "With one like him, there's always a fine line between shooting and distributing, and I thought he ran that line pretty well tonight," Thompson said. "He distributed when he needed to and got us just enough easy buckets. Delta State didn't sign him for nothing." "We contained him for the middle of the game," Price said of Wilson. "He was hot early and he was hot late. If I had known earlier (Wilson would get hot) we'd have (face-guarded) him the whole night and tried to not let him catch." Next for Springdale is the Fayetteville Bulldog Classic Thursday through Saturday. The Red'Dogs face another tough test in Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo Thursday at 8:30 p.m. Farmington returns home Thursday for the Tony Chachere's Classic.

FARMINGTON 54, SPRINGDALE HIGH 48

Photo Credit: Springdale High School Athletics

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