FARMINGTON — The outcome of Friday’s Battle of Highway 62 between Prairie Grove and Farmington meant virtually nothing to the 4A-1 Conference standings.
The Lady Tigers had already clinched the conference championship with their perfect record, and Farmington was right behind in second.
Prairie Grove 7 10 19 19 — 55
Farmington 6 12 13 14 — 45
Prairie Grove (21-4, 14-0): Huber 22, Beeks 11, Fitts 9, Smith 6, Kultgen 5, Robinson 2.
Farmington (19-7, 12-4): Rhame 12, Scheyder 12, Scales 9, Duchanois 6, Blackburn 4, Maxwell 2.
BOYS
Farmington 64, Prairie Grove 62
The boy’s game came down to the final seconds, as Farmington narrowly avoided an upset to end the regular season.
Farmington maintained control during the majority of the game. Prairie Grove refused to go away without a fight, and with 27 seconds left in the game, the score was tied at 62-62. However Farmington would get the last word in.
Farmington’s Chase Garner had a huge night with 31 points, almost half the team’s total, and Cameron Doughty led Prairie Grove with 14 points.
Prairie Grove 14 16 10 22 — 62
Farmington 21 13 13 17 — 64
Prairie Grove (5-17, 3-11): Doughty 14, Arguello 12, Winters 10, Speed 10, Allen 7, Pursell 4, Storlie 3, Tice 2.
Farmington (19-5, 12-2) Garner 31, Mueller 15, Dellett 10, Stevens 4, Brackett 2, Oxford 2.
But a rivalry like one is never taken lightly, and such was the case in Prairie Grove’s 55-45 win.
“I thought it was a great high school basketball game,” said Brad Johnson, Farmington girl’s basketball coach. “But any time these two teams face off, it’s going to be a war. That’s just the way this game should be.”
After finishing the third quarter ahead by five points, Prairie Grove continued its momentum and scored five immediately to go ahead by double digits at the beginning of the fourth quarter. It seemed like the pivotal moment where the Prairie Grove would run away with the game, but Farmington (19-7, 12-4 4A-1) wasn’t done.
In seconds, Farmington was back within five points, and with two minutes left in the game, the teams were separated by three.
Again the Lady Tigers (21-4, 14-0) pulled ahead, except this time they stayed there.
The beginning of the game started slow with the first quarter score at 7-6 in favor of Prairie Grove.
“I didn’t think Justyne (Huber) attacked as well as she is capable of,” Prairie Grove coach Kevin Froud said. “She did in the second half and took over like she’s supposed to.”
Huber finished with a game-high 22 points, leading her team to the second year in a row it has finished with no losses in conference play.
“These girls know how to win and how to play,” Froud said.