Farmington takes 2nd in home tournament: Scorps looking to learn from tough schedule

FARMINGTON

The Boulder Creek (Arizona) and Westlake (Utah) basketball teams earned the respect of Farmington boys coach Larry Don Chitty.

Of the two teams, the Scorpions matched up with Boulder Creek in the finals at the 2022 Marv Sanders Memorial Invitational on Saturday night.

Farmington stayed within striking distance for the first three quarters before the Anthem, Arizona team coasted to a 64-36 win.

“They were outstanding,” Chitty said of Boulder Creek. “I’ve never seen a team get in transition as fast as they do, whether on a make or a miss.

“They would get the ball at the other end shooing layups,” he added. “I mean, they did that in a couple of seconds. They got us on that a few times.”

After looking over film, Chitty said his guys were sprinting back, trying to defend those fastbreaks by Boulder Creek.

“They were so good at getting the ball up and down the floor,” he said. “That is something we want to emulate.”

As for Westlake, the Farmington coach said that the Saratoga Springs, Utah team was the second best squad in the eight-team tournament.

“They were a really good ballclub and the bracket was set up for them to play each other in that second round,” he said. “I think those two teams were by far better than the rest of us. It was really nice to have those real high caliber teams that we usually don’t see in this area and mix it up with the local teams that have a great fan base.

“I mean, Window Rock, Gallup and Shiprock brought so many fans,” he added. “The tournament as a whole was really good with a high level of basketball.”

In the title game, Chitty said they were up in the first four, five minutes of the game.

“It remained tight with two minutes before halftime and they made a run, so were down 11 points,” he said. “We played a really good third quarter and we kept the score within 12, but in the last quarter we went through a stretch to where we couldn’t put the ball in the hole.”

Chitty said they were getting good looks, but they missed their shots.

“(Boulder Creek) made four 3s in the fourth quarter and they just got hot,” he said. “They were making baskets and we got a little worn down because we were tired.”

The Farmington coach said junior guard Cody Vassar-Stein led the Scorps with a team-best 18 points.

“Playing against that caliber was really good for him.,” Chitty said of his pupil. “He was just as good as those guys. I think Cody is one of the best players in the state as a junior and I think he proved it.”

Vassar-Steen said playing the likes of Boulder Creek will pay dividends later in the season, especially against the state’s 5A competition.

“I think we got to mentally prepare ourselves for those kind of games,” Vassar-Steen said. “We can’t go in with no fear. We got to practice hard. We got to get stronger. We got to get better every day, so that we can be ready for those moments when we play Hobbs, Cleveland, and some of those top schools.”

Last year, the Scorps made the 5A playoffs as the No. 13 seed, which put them on the road at No. 4 Hobbs.

The Scorps were eliminated after following short to the storied program that has won a state-best 17 big schools state titles.

“Our goal is to get first or second in our district this year and try to get a home game for the playoffs,” he said. “We really don’t to go to Hobbs or someone like that.

It’s gonna be pretty tough,” Chitty said. “Our district is pretty stacked, and I think it’s the best district in New Mexico. We got teams like Sandia, La Cueva, West Mesa and Eldorado and they’re all in the top 10 right now.

“We also have us and Piedra Vista,” he said.

The Farmington coach said they have its work cut out for them, but he believes they can improve on where they finished last season.

“We started the season at 14-1 last year and it’s gonna be tough to match with the schedule we have,” he said. “We’re playing a lot of big teams and if we gonna play 5A teams we have to play a 5A schedule.”

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