High school basketball: Chris Urbina's 3 lifts Olton boys past Farwell
OLTON — For the last two days, the Olton and Farwell boys basketball teams had been hearing all about their game that didn't happen.
They heard and read the jokes and theories about what went on behind the scenes before they were set to tip-off on Tuesday night. It wasn't about basketball anymore. It was about adults making choices affecting them that they had nothing to do with.
The anticipated game between the top two teams in District 3-2A was put on hold. The game itself may have been delayed, but Chris Urbina was right on time.
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Urbina lit up the Steers early in their Thursday-night clash in Memorial Gymnasium but couldn't find a rhythm in the second half. He needed to just hit something — anything — to help the Mustangs prevail.
With 11.3 seconds left and Farwell holding a 44-42 lead, Olton head coach Bobby Workman went to the play the Mustangs worked on Wednesday — a full day after the game should've been completed.
Urbina handed the ball off to Jake Soliz, used a flare screen from Joe Canchola, popped out to the corner, took in the pass from Soliz and drilled the game-winning 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds left. The Mustang defense held on for the 45-44 triumph.
"Chris is a special player," Workman said of Urbina, who hit four 3s and finished with a game-high 18 points. "I knew he was ready for that moment. He was hot early, kind of had a dry spell a little bit there, but he stuck with it. We were able to finally get him open and he knocked down a big-time shot."
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Farwell head coach Shane Perkins knew before the game that stopping Urbina was going to be key to the Steers' success, calling the 6-foot-3 lefty "a problem." That proved fortuitous on Thursday.
"We had some screwups and 22 made us pay for it," Perkins said of Urbina. "That's what we told them. He's good enough...really good offensive players, if you screw up, they're going to make you pay for it."
Urbina hit three 3s in the first quarter and added a couple of mid-range jumpers in the second, but was held scoreless through most of the third quarter and rarely got a good look at the hoop in the second half.
Corey Stancell scored 10-straight points for the Steers to turn a five-point deficit at halftime into a 26-23 advantage in the third. It was back-and-forth from there with the two teams having long sequences of consecutive turnovers.
"There were stretches in the game where we just lacked confidence, but Farwell does that to you," Workman said. "They're such a great team. So well-coached. It's a battle every time."
The battle was finally won by Olton, which scored 30 points below its season average. The defense, though, held Farwell — which missed the front end of back-to-back one-and-ones in the final 35 seconds — to zero made 3s in the game.
By the end of the game, it became all about basketball again.
"They came in with big energy and were a great challenge for us," said Urbina, who was the only player to hit a 3-pointer in the game. "We stayed poised and got the win."
Olton 45, Farwell 44
Olton (23-3, 3-0) — Chris Urbina 18, Jake Soliz 11, Joe Canchola 6, Brennon Huguley 5, Alex Santillan 3, Andrew Martinez 2.
Farwell (20-5, 2-1) — Leo Nunez 11, Corey Stancell 10, Grayson Waldrip 7, Adrian Nunez 6, Juan Gaxigla 6, Dustan Sides 4
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: High school basketball: Chris Urbina's 3 lifts Olton boys past Farwell
