A march to win a state boys basketball title in just its third year as a program came to an end in the 5A state championship game for the Farmington Phoenix. Farmington fell to Lehi 61-47 on March 6, held at Salt Lake Community College. 

Things appeared to be going Farmington’s way, especially after a strong third quarter where the team outscored Lehi 19-10. That spurt gave the Phoenix a 40-37 lead as the fourth quarter began. But it was all Lehi for the final six minutes. The Pioneers, which entered the contest as the tournament’s No. 3 seed at 16-8, outscored Farmington 24-17 in the fourth quarter. 

Farmington hit 14 of its 18 free throws and 18 of its 41 shots from the floor. Lehi hit a similar percentage from the floor but made five more free throws. Collin Chandler had a game-high 23 points, including four three-pointers. He added four rebounds in a losing cause. Teammate Truman Hendry contributed 12 points and seven rebounds, while Caleb Mordue had 13 points.

Though the season ended in disappointment, the Phoenix finished as Region 5 champions. The team also posted an overall record of 19-8. Farmington’s loss to Lehi was its second of the season. Lehi ran by the Phoenix 68-48 early in the season on Dec. 5.

Farmington’s path to the championship game wasn’t an easy one. 

The Phoenix, seeded fourth in the tournament, defeated fifth-seeded Mountain View at home on March 3, 61-56. Farmington trailed narrowly at 47-46 after three quarters before going on a 15-9 run over the final six minutes. Chandler had a game-high 29 points, and Hendry had 14 points to power Farmington to the win. It was Chandler’s sixth game of the season of scoring at least 29 points. 

On March 5, Farmington had to deal with the No. 1 seed in 5A, Tim view. The 22-3 Thunderbirds weren’t accustomed to losing much, or even being behind. But Farmington outscored its opponent 24-13 in the decisive fourth quarter to move onto the finals. Tim view didn’t miss any of its eight free throws, but the Phoenix held the Thunderbirds to just 19 of 55 shooting from the field. Meanwhile, the Phoenix made just under 50% of their own shots. 

Chandler had 16 points and four rebounds in the victory. Mordue also had four rebounds, and he added 13 points. Sam Rencher and Everett Page tallied nine points apiece, while Hendry had seven points, 10 rebounds and three steals. 

For the 2021–22 season, the Phoenix will have to play without the services of graduated seniors Rencher, Mordue, Hendry, Page, Michael Rawson and Tanner Nordquist. The good news is Chandler will be back after a fabulous junior campaign in which he averaged 22.2 points and 4.1 rebounds an outing.