Farmington boys stay unbeaten

Posted by Quentin Jodie | Dec 28, 2023 | Basketball |

FARMINGTON – It took a full year for the Farmington Scorpions to exact some revenge on the Monument Valley boys basketball team.

Last Friday night, the Scorpions took it out on the visiting MV squad, controlling both ends of the court during a 73-47 win at Farmington High School.

“We definitely played with a chip on our shoulders tonight,” Farmington senior guard Cody Vassar-Steen said. “Last year they got us, so this year we wanted to come out more ready.”

Last season, the Mustangs stunned Farmington with a buzzer beater at Monument Valley High School in Kayenta. This time around, the unbeaten Scorpions (9-0) forced the issue by playing superb defense. On the offensive end, they were unselfish as nine players scored at least three points headed by Vassar-Steen’s 25.

“We move the ball so much better,” Farmington coach Don Chitty said. “I think the unselfishness has been huge for us this year. They share the ball so well and we got more guys that can score now.”

That facet is a far cry from last season when the offense got stagnant with Vassar-Steen carrying most of the load.

“When we let him finish, we had guys just standing around,” Chitty said. “I think the biggest improvement this year is he’s looking for that pass. He can go finish, but more often he’s looking for guys that are wide open and that instills confidence in them.

“They’re playing better and that makes it easier on Cody because (the other teams) can’t collapse on him because we got other guys that can finish.”

Such was the case on Friday night as Farmington received 11 points from junior guard Landon Begay and eight and seven points, respectively, from junior Mikey Beck and senior Lander Willie.

“Landon is such a good passer,” Chitty said. “He’s been the biggest help for Cody. Teams are looking at Landon thinking that they have another person to guard because you can’t leave him open.

“It’s so tempting for teams to do that because Cody is getting what he wants,” he added. “But Landon is another threat. He’s confident enough to shoot, and he’s smart enough to drive and get someone else open.”

As for Beck, Chitty said his junior guard is one of the most athletic players on the team.

“He didn’t show it tonight, but he can get up there and throw it down,” Chitty said. “He’s our leading rebounder and he’s our leading assist guy. He’s lightning fast. I mean, he gets the ball down the court quick. He’s been solid this year.”

Vassar-Steen echoed his coach’s assessment while characterizing this year’s squad as a multi-pronged team.

“Landon is a knockdown shooter,” Vassar-Steen said. “Everybody has confidence in him and when he gets the ball, we want him to shoot it.

“We also got Mikey who can fast break and we got Trel (Griego) in the post,” he added. “I feel like we’re just good all the way around. We got plenty of places to go to and get some mismatches.”

In last week’s game, it took the Scorps three minutes to find their rhythm as they broke open the game on a 12-4 run at the tail end of the opening stanza for a 16-7 advantage over MV.

Behind Vassar-Stein’s dozen first-half points, the Scorpion’s lead was stretched to 33-15 at the break. The Farmington guard added another 11 markers in the third as the Chitty-coached squad took a 53-23 lead heading into the fourth.

“I don’t care how you guard him, Cody is going to get 20 points,” the Farmington coach said. “You can send all five guys, he’s gonna get 20 points. He’s been playing for me for four years and he’s a different guy this year.

“He’s truly been special,” he added.

Farmington is scheduled to take part in this week’s Hobbs Holiday Classic. The Scorps opens the tournament with Las Cruces Centennial at 4:45 p.m. today.

“We’re excited to go down there,” Chitty said. “There’s a chance that we’ll play three 5A teams in Hobbs. We’re going to Los Lunas and that’s another one.”

MV, which dropped to 2-7 overall, was led by senior Jaden Redhouse, who finished with 15. Mustang point guard Uzziel Flores added 11.