(photo by Jim Lindquist)
Farmington stayed with defending Shakopee for the first 18 minutes but cold shooting after intermission led to a 66-39 loss to the defending Missota Conference champions Friday night, Feb. 11, in Shakopee.
The Tigers who lost 70-37 to the Sabers in the league opener at Tiger Gym last month, gave their hosts all they wanted in the first period, trailing just 31-27 at the break.
"We were going after and getting loose balls and were were hitting the boards," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "The good thing was that it just wasn't one guy. We had several players who made big contributions."
Things turned quickly in the second half, however, as the pesky Saber defense and ice-cold shooting by the visitors helped Shakopee gradually pull away.
Farmington scored just four points during the first eight minutes of the second period and only 12 for the entire half.
"We turned the ball over a little more in the second half," Wyandt said, "but the big thing is that we just couldn't seem to knock down a shot. That's been a problem for us lately."
Alex Michels and Austin Basett each cracked double figures in scoring for Farmington, finishing with 11 and 10 points respectively.
The Tigers, 8-12 overall and 2-6 in the conference, hopes to get back in the win column this week against teams they have beaten earlier in the season. Tuesday, Feb. 15, they entertain Holy Angels at Tiger Gym and Friday they travel to Northfield.
"The conference is such that after Chaska and maybe Shakopee, the rest of us are pretty even," Wyandt said. "These are winnable games for us."
