Paige Steele 10 points, 3 assists
(photos by Jim Lindquist)
Farmington registered its 13th win in 14 games with a convincing 57-44 Missota Conference victory Friday, Jan. 21, at Northfield.
Junior forward Taylor Meyer scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed a dozen rebounds to pace the Tigers who moved to 4-1 in Missota Conference play, a game behind first place Shakopee.
"We had a little trouble with their switching defenses early," Tiger coach Jason Berg said, "but we closed the first half on a big run.
"The big thing for us, just like it's been all season, was our defense. We contested every shot and made them work for every point."
With 10 minutes remaining in the opening half the Tigers led just 10-8 before ending the period on a 24-10 spurt. Paige Steele had a pair of three-pointers in the closing run.
The visitors expanded their lead after intermission with a balanced team effort that saw eight different players dent the scoring column.
The stat sheet told the story of the game. Farmington shot 50 percent from the field and went 6-10 from three-point range. Northfield made just 13 field goals in the contest.
The Tigers also dominated the glass by a 34-16 margin with 13 of that number coming at the offensive end. Northfield finished with 20 turnovers while Farmington had just 11.
Meyer made 12 of 16 field goal tries and was a perfect 3-3 from behind the three-point arc to account for her 27 points. Steele joined her in double figures with 10 points and Elena Koch and Jamie Kenealy added eight apiece.
Isis Alexander led in assists with five and Koch and Jordan Bridges each had a pair of blocks.
The Tigers close out the opening round of conference play with a home contest with Chaska Tuesday, Jan. 24, followed by a big road game at New Prague on Friday.
"I think we still have some improving to do as far as offensive execution goes," Berg said, "but if we keep playing defense like we have been we will be right where we want to be."
