Whirlwinds end Farwell's season on late 3-pointer

DIMMITT – Senior Abran Castillo hit a long 3-pointer as time expired on Tuesday night, lifting Floydada past Farwell 68-65 in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal playoff game.

The loss brings the season to an end for the Steers (27-5), who had won 20 consecutive games since a 48-37 setback to Magdalena in a semifinal matchup in Texico’s Citizens Bank tournament on Dec. 16.

The Whirlwinds (35-5) advanced to a regional quarterfinal contest on Friday night against Reagan County (30-9).

With the score tied, Floydada gained possession on a held-ball with less than 30 seconds to go. After a timeout with 11 seconds remaining, senior Abran Castillo got the ball and shot it from a couple of steps behind the arc, giving him a game-high 27 points.

Sophomore Ty Henderson added 14 for the Whirlwinds. Meantime, senior Adrian Nunez paced the Steers with 24 points while senior Alec Actkinson and freshman Cesar Snyder chipped in 14 apiece.

Turnovers plagued Farwell early, and the Whirlwinds got off to a 26-15 advantage at the quarter. Farwell rallied to take its first lead 65-63 on a basket by Nunez with under two minutes left, but Castillo tied it with a bucket with just over a minute to go to set the stage for the finish.

Coach Shane Perkins completed his 12th season out of 14 with 20 or more wins for the Steers. He is 338-102 (.768) in his time at the school.