Elliot Fenske (below) hits a jumper
Photos by Jim Lindquist
Turnovers, missed lay-ups and a long night at the free throw line cost the Tigers dearly in a 61-59 loss to unbeaten Rochester Century (4-0) Friday night, Dec. 17, at Tiger Gym.
Farmington pulled itself out of a a nine-point hole with six minutes to play to lead 57-56 with two minutes left in regulation but couldn't find the winning combination down the stretch.
"We were talking about last season and the half dozen games we lost like this last year," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "We're still searching for that guy to go to at the end of the game when things are on the line.
"Tonight our kids picked themselves up off the floor and hustled their way back into the game. I think we gained Century's respect. We gave them more than they were looking for."
First half Farmington turnovers, mostly in the half-court game, led to a 36-27 deficit at intermission.
Errors plagued both teams in the second half but it was Farmington that came up with most of the hustle plays and made the extra effort to get to the loose balls. The result was the late rally that fell agonizingly short.
"We forced them into 27 turnovers but we had 28 ourselves," Wyandt said. "We need to slow things down and find a way to seal the deal."
The Tigers hurt themselves in the shooting department, finishing in the mid-30's in field goal percentage and converting just nine of 20 attempts from the free throw line.
The Farmington defense also had no answer for the Panthers Ater Manyang who exploded for 28 points on 13 of 18 shooting.
Alex Michels was the only Farmington player in double figures, finishing with 15 points. Michels also had a team-high nine rebounds. Josh Ruthenbeck had nine points and Elliot Fenske eight for the Tigers.
Farmington (2-2) hopes to finish the pre-holiday portion of its schedule with a victory when they entertain Section 1 rival Rochester Mayo Tuesday night, Dec. 21, at Tiger Gym.
"Century beat Mayo by two, so it should be another good match-up," Wyandt said.
