Jack Farrell nearly doubled his points per game average but Middlebury College fell just short of taking the NCAA Tournament Sectional semifinal from MIT last night. Farrell, a 2017 graduate of Verona High School, who is in his freshman season for the Panthers, accounted for 15 of their points in the 79-76 loss.
The semifinal was played at Ramapo College and there was a large Verona crowd in attendance, including Eric McElroy, the VHS boys varsity basketball coach who had guided Farrell and his teammates last year to Verona’s first state basketball championship since 1957, and several current and former VHS players.
Middlebury took an initial 12-5 lead in the game against the Engineers, and the Verona fans roared with approval as Farrell aced a three-pointer from the left side of the court. MIT rallied to take an 18-12 advantage but Middlebury answered with a 13-point rally of their own, including a beautiful layup from Farrell. The lead would ricochet between the two squads until the game stood at 75-74 MIT with just 54 seconds left. Farrell then got a steal but Middlebury couldn’t convert it into the points they needed to take back the lead.
Farrell played in 28 Middlebury games this season, 27 of which as a starter. He had 233 total points, and averaged 8.3 points per game. Farrell was the high scorer with 19 points last Saturday as Middlebury beat Eastern Connecticut State, 83-58, to advance to the semifinals.
