(photo by Jim Lindquist)
Farmington (2-7) stuck with once-beaten Mahtomedi for a half but in the end ice-cold second half shooting combined with a strong effort on the offensive glass by the Zephyrs led to a 73-49 loss in the opening round of the Hastings Holiday Tournament.
"We played a pretty good first half but they hurt us inside in the second," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "They have some wide bodies up front and I think they wore us down a little...It didn't help that we couldn't hit a shot in the second half either."
Farmington also went with an unfamiliar starting line-up due to a couple of players missing practice(s) early in the week.
The first half was a highly competitive one with the Zephyrs heading to the break with a 39-33 advantage.
"We battled hard," Wyandt said. "We knew that one of the keys for us was controlling our defensive board and for the most part we did a good job of that."
The second half was another story, however, as Mahtomedi (4-1) gradually extended its lead on the back of a strong inside game.
Darren Beenken came off the bench to lead the Farmington offense with 17 points. Alex Chadwick chipped in with eight but no other Tiger managed more than five points.
The Tigers will play Burnsville in the tournament's third place game Thursday (Dec. 29) evening at 5:00 p.m.
