Fourth-quarter run gives Cardinals win over Lions

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS
As a Cardinal defender falls to the court, Gunnar Woolard makes his run on the basket from the right wing during the Jan. 18 Gravette-Farmington varsity boys basketball contest at the Lions' Den in Gravette. Woolard made the layup for two of his 17 points. Farmington took the conference win 49-44 over Gravette.
Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS As a Cardinal defender falls to the court, Gunnar Woolard makes his run on the basket from the right wing during the Jan. 18 Gravette-Farmington varsity boys basketball contest at the Lions' Den in Gravette. Woolard made the layup for two of his 17 points. Farmington took the conference win 49-44 over Gravette.

GRAVETTE -- The Lions' Den in Gravette was bustling with activity on Jan. 18 when the boys' basketball team squared off against the Farmington Cardinals in a conference thriller. The Lions fought back to within three points before one final field goal by the Cardinals put the contest out of reach for the home team.

With less than 30 seconds elapsed off the clock in the first quarter, the Cardinals hit paydirt when Layne Taylor put up a jumper from the top of the key for the first field goal of the contest. On the Lions' second possession one minute later, Brady Hunt hit a three-point field goal, giving Gravette its first points of the contest and a one-point lead.

Gravette continued to hold the lead by one until the 4:32 mark when Taylor hit his third field goal, putting the Cardinals on top by one. The lead went back and forth for the next few minutes until, with 46 seconds left in the quarter, Farmington tied the contest at 11 all. Just when it looked as though the first quarter would end in a tie, Nathan Monroe hit a layup with seven seconds left to give the Cardinals the lead, 13-11, going into the next quarter.

The Farmington offense exploded in the first two minutes of the second quarter, jumping out in front by seven points. But as quickly as the Cardinals took

control of the contest, the Lions shut it down and went on a scoring drive that tied the contest at 19 with just under four minutes left in the quarter.

Gravette held a three-point lead late in the quarter until Farmington's Caleb Blakely broke the dry spell with a jumper from just outside the left lane, cutting Gravette's lead to one point going into the halftime break.

The lead went back and forth throughout the third quarter, with Gravette holding it for around a minute, then Farmington powering back to hold the lead by two for about a minute. By the end of the quarter, Farmington was up by two going into the final eight minutes.

In the final quarter, Farmington began edging out Gravette, pulling ahead by six with only two minutes left to play. The Lions pulled to within four points with 45 seconds to play but were unable to get any shots to land in the basket. The Farmington Cardinals took the conference win, 49-44, over the Gravette Lions.

Leading the scoring effort for the Gravette Lions was Gunnar Woolard with 17 points, including three three-point field goals and hitting four of five free throws for 80 percent from the line. Brady Hunt was the only other Lion in double figures, with 10 points, two three-point field goals and being three for three from the free-throw line for 100 percent. Other Lions contributing points included Dakota Sizemore with seven, Michael Duke with five, Brooke West with four and Gabe Edgman with one.

Layne Taylor had a big night for the Farmington Cardinals with 29 points. Mateo Carbonel had seven, Caleb Blakely six, Nathan Monroe four and Logan Burch three.

photo Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Brooks West (Gravette 33) grabs a rebound away from Nathan Monroe (Farmington 3) late in the second quarter of the Gravette-Farmington boys basketball contest at the Lions' Den in Gravette Jan. 18. West managed to hold on to the ball and pass it down court to one of his teammates waiting near the Lion basket.
photo Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Brady Hunt (Gravette 1) goes for a layup as Cardinal defenders Mateo Carbonel (0) and Logan Burch (2) try to block during the third quarter of the Gravette-Farmington boys contest in Gravette Jan. 18. Hunt made the layup for two of his 10 points for the night.
photo Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS After getting tangled up with Mateo Carbonel (center), Michael Duke (right) tries to hand off the ball to Gunnar Woolard (left) late in the second quarter of the Gravette-Farmington basketball contest in Gravette Jan 18. Somehow Duke managed to hold onto the ball and when the two players untangled Duke handed it off to Woolard who dribbled back into Lion territory.
photo Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Lion Brooks West (33 center) tries to steal the ball away from Cardinal Mateo Carbonel (center left) during the first quarter of the Gravette-Farmington varsity basketball contest at the Lions' Den in Gravette Jan. 18. Farmington took the conference win in the last two minutes of the game 49-44 over Gravette.