Abran Castillo's buzzer-beater sends Floydada boys to first region tournament since 2008

DIMMITT — Eddie Walker had the perfect set drawn up for the waning seconds of a tied game Tuesday.

"Let me tell you the final play," the Floydada boys basketball coach said. "Get the ball in 10's hands."

Give Walker credit. It worked.

No. 10, Abran Castillo, connected on a high-arching 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Whirlwinds to a 68-65 win over Farwell in a Region I-2A quarterfinal Tuesday at Kenneth Cleveland Gymnasium. The result puts Floydada in its first regional tournament since 2008.

The Winds ran an isolation for Castillo, who wound down the final 10 seconds before hitting a stepback jumper with a Steers defender closing on him. Teammates dogpiled Castillo in celebration before the team climbed into the stands to continue the pandemonium with the student section.

"I was built for these moments, I feel like," Castillo said. "My coach, he thinks big of me, and I'm just trying to show up big for him. I want to show him I can do it."

The senior guard showed plenty. Castillo notched a game-high 27 points, including two crucial buckets at the end.

No. 3 Farwell's Adrian Nunez scored eight of his team-high 24 points during a 12-2 stretch, including a layup with 2:08 remaining that gave the Steers (27-5) their only lead. Castillo countered with a runner in the lane to tie it, before his game-winner followed a defensive stand by the Winds.

"We had a guy in his face. You can't fault that," Farwell coach Shane Perkins said of the final possession. "(Castillo) made a shot. We told our kids that that's basketball. Dude makes a shot, sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't. We've won a lot of close games this year at the end. Averages kick in sooner or later, and it got us tonight."

Castillo was the only option after Floydada (35-5) went cold in the fourth quarter to squander an eight-point lead. The team had only two points before Castillo's heroics in the last 70 seconds.

"He's been hot all game," Walker said. "You have to get it into hot players' hands. Everybody on the team believed in him, and he believed in himself."

Castillo was quick to heap praise on his teammates, who helped execute the Winds' swarming press defense. The pressure helped Floydada build a 26-15 advantage after one quarter. Perkins said his team was able to settle down and limit the turnovers after the tough start, which included a 16-point deficit late in the first half.

The No. 11 Winds' long-awaited playoff run continues Friday in the Region I-2A semifinals against No. 4 Big Lake Regan County. Castillo, for one, can't wait to try and continue the magical ride.

"I'm a senior, it wasn't going to be my last game," Castillo said. "I saw my parents looking up there, telling me to do my thing. I want them to go see me more. I want them to go see me in San Antonio. … I'm just trying to do that for them and my team."

Region I-2A quarterfinal

Floydada 68, Farwell 65

Farwell 15 17 21 12 — 65

Floydada 26 16 19 7 — 68

Farwell (27-5) — Walker Williams 1, Adrian Nunez 24, Ryder McElroy 4, Corey Stancell 6, Alec Actkinson 14, Cesar Snyder 14.

Floydada (35-5) — Ty Henderson 14, Saul Reyes 4, Jayson Cooper 2, Orlando Ortiz 4, Abran Castillo 27, Braun Hobbs 8, Aiden Trevino 9.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Abran Castillo's buzzer-beater sends Floydada boys to first region tournament since 2008