Olton rallies past Steers 68-59

FARWELL – Everything went so well early ... and not so well late.

Farwell's boys opened a double-digit lead in the opening quarter on Friday night and carried that advantage into the final stanza, only to see District 3-2A rival Olton storm back to win 68-59 behind 37 points from junior guard Sebastian Sparkman.

Sparkman went 19-of-22 from the foul line in helping the Mustangs (18-4, 2-1 district) overcome a 19-point, second-quarter deficit to stun the Steers (19-5, 2-1).

"Sebastian really set the tone," Olton coach Bobby Workman said. "He's a leader that just lives in the gym.

"It was a huge win. We knew it would be a tough game. We knew it would be huge if we could come in here and steal one."

The result left the teams tied for second in the district behind Hale Center (16-6, 3-0), which edged Olton 53-50 on Jan. 10 at home. But Farwell coach Shane Perkins noted that Texas is dividing each of its six classes into large school/small school this year, so both teams are certainly in good shape for the postseason from that standpoint.

"That's a tough team," he said of the Mustangs. "You know they're just not going to give up."

Junior guard Braddock Foster led Farwell with 16 points, 12 coming in the opening stanza when the Steers sprinted out to a 24-12 lead. But he was one of three Steers to eventually foul out.

"Our scorers are sitting next to me on the bench," Perkins said. "We've got to figure out ways to stay on the court."

Farwell pushed its lead to 50-40 in the opening minute of the final segment on a free throw by senior Ryder McElroy, but the Steers' foul problems – they also had two technicals in the stanza – helped the Mustangs overtake them.

Down 52-45 after a basket by Farwell freshman Coy Miller with 5:20 left, Olton went on a14-1 surge to take a six-point lead. The Mustangs knocked down 31-of-37 free throws for the game, including 10 in a row – including eight by Sparkman – over the final 1:36.

Workman said the lost to Hale Center has provided a spark for his squad.

"I think that game allowed us to find our identity," he said. "We were exposed in a lot of ways."

Junior Hudson Agee added 11 points and McElroy finished with 10 for Farwell.

In other Friday boys action:

Texico 86, Mescalero 20 – The Wolverines rolled to a 32-10 lead at the quarter and bounced back from their first loss of the season three nights earlier against Portales.

Senior Steen North posted a personal-best 26 points for Texico (10-1), including a trio of 3-pointers. Junior Bennett Wahlen collected 11 points for the Wolverines, while senior Jait Garrison and junior Maverick Hawkins posted 10 points apiece.

Senior Jason Kanseah led the Chiefs (4-14) with six points.

Lockney 63, Bovina 55 – The Longhorns (3-13, 1-2 District 3-2A) rolled to a 38-20 halftime lead and coasted to their first district win at Lockney.

Junior Angel Lars led the Mustangs (3-11, 0-3) with 27 points while sophomore Matthew Espinosa scored 15.

Del Norte 66, Melrose 44 – At Albuquerque, the Class 5A Knights broke up a tight one with a 20-3 splurge in the third quarter for an 18-point cushion.

Junior Francois Satchvi led the Knights (9-7) with 15 points while senior Gavin Gomez chipped in 10. For the Buffs, senior Chance Brittenum led the way with 14 points while junior Jaxon Odom had 10.

In a Saturday contest in Albuquerque, Melrose (9-3) posted a 62-42 win over Rio Grande (3-14).