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| Mac Basset 10 of 15 shooting for 24 points (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
The victory moved the Tigers to 9-6 overall and 3-1 in conference play. Holy Angels dropped to 9-5 and 2-1.
"This was a big win for us," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "I thought our rebounding, especially in the first half, was key....We gave up a lot of points in the second half but our team defense stood out. We clogged up the middle and we contested shots."
Each team was without one of its starters with Tiger point guard Johnny Dittman and Stars' leading scorer Delshon Strickland both unavailable.
The revised Farmington lineup roared out of the gates, using an early 13-0 run in which all five starters scored, to take a 15-2 lead. Holy Angels closed the gap just before intermission but the Tigers still hit the break with a 40-28 edge.
"We got out of our rhythm toward the end of the half," Wyandt said "and we knew they (Holy Angels) would make run at us in the second half."
But it was the home team that would throw the first punch in the second period. The Tigers opened with a 15-5 spurt and all of a sudden was sitting on a 22-point cushion at 55-33.
From there on, however, the visitors went to a physical full-court press that made the floor of Tiger Gym look like a bowling alley with players flying in all directions.
The strategy paid dividends for the Stars who gradually crept back into the game, pulling to within five points at 73-68 before baskets by Jordan DeCroock and Mac Bassett and some clutch free throw shooting by Bassett, DeCroock and Zach Speikers closed out the win.
Farmington finished the night hitting 15 of 18 from the foul line, including seven of eight down the stretch.
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| Jordan DeCroock 8 points, 3 rebounds, 0 turnovers (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
"Maybe this was a blessing in disguise," Wyandt said. "Jordan got a lot of minutes and showed he can handle the ball and play in pressure situations. That should help us going forward."
The win was truly a team effort with everyone who played making significant contributions.
Bassett led three players scoring in double figures with a game-high 24 points and also grabbed seven rebounds. Darren Beenken added 18 points and four assists along with what Wyandt termed "great senior leadership.. Speikers finished with 14 points and seven rebounds and drained four straight free throws in the closing minute.
Eli Rockett had nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds and his partner in the paint Nick Varner scored six points and pulled down nine boards. DeCroock tallied a season-high eight points and handed out a pair of assists and Alex Chadwick scored five points and came up with a trio of steals.
The Tigers are off until next Friday when they return to Missota Conference action with a home game with Chanhassen (6-7, 0-3). The Storm has lost its last two conference games by a total of four points.
"They were rated in Class 4A earlier in the season," Wyandt said. "Every night out in the Missota this year is tough, and it's important for us to protect our home court."
