PRAIRIE GROVE — To see the physicality of the Battle of Highway 62 matchup, look no further than Callie Robinson’s bloodied No. 34 jersey.
There was no shortage of intensity in Prairie Grove’s 56-44 victory against Farmington on Friday night.
After taking an elbow to the nose going for a jump ball, Robinson was forced to switch to No. 22.
Girls
PRAIRIE GROVE 56, FARMINGTON 44
Farmington 6 13 14 11 — 44
Prairie Grove 10 14 11 21 — 56
Farmington (14-4, 5-1) Maxwell 17, Rhame 12, Scales 4, Scheyder 4, Duchanois 3, Blackburn 2, Sigmon 2.
Prairie Grove (13-4, 6-0) Huber 17, Beeks 11, Fitts 10, Kultgen 9, Robinson 5, Smith 4.
“Callie was like, ‘They must have hit an artery or something because I can’t stop bleeding,’” Prairie Grove senior Justyne Huber said.
That type of play is to be expected when competing in the biggest rivalry game of the year, said Prairie Grove girls basketball coach Kevin Froud.
“In this game, it’s going to be loud, there’s going to be a lot of people,” Froud said. “Some people probably got bets on it. Who’s going to have to wear each other’s hat? It’s a big thing.”
While it was a big night for Prairie Grove (13-4, 6-0) as a team, it was also a night to remember for Huber, and not just because of her game-leading 17 points.
Boys
FARMINGTON 59, PRAIRIE GROVE 43
Farmington 16 18 8 17 — 59
Prairie Grove 13 8 16 6 — 43
Farmington (13-4, 5-1) Garner 16, Mueller 15, Dellett 12, Brackett 9, Oxford 5, Stevens 2.
Prairie Grove (3-11, 1-5) Tice 11, Allen 11, Doughty 10, Storlie 7, Winters 4.
JUNIOR VARSITY SCORE: Farmington 47, Prairie Grove 39
Huber won her 100th game as a Lady Tiger in her fourth year donning the varsity jersey.
“I had no idea that it was even close to that until Coach Froud told me,” Huber said. “And I was really excited because it was against Farmington.”
Farmington coach Brad Johnson said he was impressed with Prairie Grove’s physical play, but wasn’t particularly thrilled at his own team’s effort.
Lady Cardinal Haley Maxwell led Farmington (14-4, 5-1) and tied Huber with her 17 points, being one of the team’s bright spots in the loss.
“My best guess is we got outrebounded by about 15, and you can’t beat them doing that,” Johnson said. “I thought we shot very, very poorly from the line.
“In this kind of game when every possession is so big, you gotta come out with points per possession.”
In a game where both teams were battling to stay undefeated, only one could be successful, and the implications for the losing team were considerable, Johnson said.
“The conference championship is usually going to roll through these two teams, so these games mean a lot,” he said.
Johnson said the best thing his team can do is have a short-term memory because when these two rivals face off again, there could be a championship up for grabs.
“From now on, every game is a huge game,” Johnson said. “Every game becomes the biggest game of the year, and that way when we do play Prairie Grove again, the conference championship is still on the line. And then we’ll be on our court.”
Boys
Prairie Grove 59, Farmington 43
In the another rivalry match-up, Farmington came out on top.
After pulling away in the second quarter and leading by 13 points at halftime, Farmington (13-4, 5-1) had a slow third quarter and allowed Prairie Grove (3-11, 1-5) to come within five points.
But the comeback was short-lived for the Tigers as the Cardinals pulled away in the final quarter.
Farmington’s Chase Garner led the game in scoring with 16 points and was followed close behind by his teammate Jeremy Mueller, who had 15.
Ty Tice and Landon Allen led Prairie Grove with 10 points apiece.