(photo by Jim Lindquist)
The Farmington road woes continued Thursday night as the Tigers dropped a 87-70 decision to hot-shooting Simley in a non-conference contest in Inver Grove Heights. Farmington (2-6) has lost all all four of its road games this season.
The outcome was decided early as the Spartans piled up a 19-0 lead in a run where the ice-cold Tigers missed their first 12 shots from the floor.
"Part of the reason they (Simley) shot so well was that we let them get good looks by not running the floor," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said.
"Later, when we started playing harder, they seemed to knock everything down. Whether they had a hand in their face or took a bad shot it seemed to go in."
The stats bear out Wyandt's contention. The Spartans shot a blistering 72 percent from the field for the game, including a nine-for 12 night from beyond the three-point line.
If there was a silver lining in the loss, it came from the visitors outscoring Simley 45-41 after intermission.
"I can't explain why we come out not ready to compete on the road," Wyandt said. "We seem to let the home team jump out early. Sometimes it looks like we are playing scared."
The trio of Darren Beenken, Nick Varner and Mackinley Bassett provided most of the offense for the Tigers.
Beenken had a game-high 24 points and also pulled down six rebounds. Varner finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Bassett hit double figures for the second straight game with 12 points.
Next on the schedule for the Tigers is the four-team Hastings Holiday Tournament Dec. 28-29. They open play at 5:00 p.m. on the 28th against Mahtomedi.
