Steers edge Hawley, gain regional finals

Staff report

LEVELLAND — The Farwell Steers are just one game away from the Texas Final Four.

Senior guard Angel Graxiola hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with a minute to play — his only points of the game — and the Steers held on for a 47-45 victory in Friday’s Class 1A Region I semifinals at South Plains College’s TexanDome.

Sophomore guard Jace Perkins scored 16 points, senior forward Curt Langford added 12 for the Steers (25-7), who face Canadian — a 36-32 winner on Friday over Smyer — at 2 p.m. (CST) today for the right to advance to next week’s semifinals at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Graxiola’s 3 erased a 45-44 Wildcats lead, and the Steers stopped Hawley (26-8) on its final two possessions. The Bearcats missed a potential game-winning 3 at the buzzer.

“We got off to a good start, got settled in,” Steers coach Shane Perkins said. “We didn’t execute well on offense (early), had some bad shots.

“Our biggest thing all year has been competing for four quarters. We’ve been undersized against most of these teams all year, but our kids have fought every possession and that’s what you’ve got to have in the playoffs."

For Hawley, 6-foot-8 senior center Chase Scott was the lone player in double figures with 16 points.

It's Farwell's deepest run into the playoffs since 1989, when the Steers lost to eventual champion Edgewood 68-64 in overtime in the Class 2A state semifinals.