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| Eli Rockett 17 points, 11 rebounds (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
"First of all, it was win," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "The first half wasn't what we wanted but we had so many guys play so much better in the second half."
The win boosted Farmington's season record to 5-3 and set up Friday night's match-up with Mahtomedi in the tournament's title game. The Zephyrs routed host Hastings 76-40 in Thursday's other semifinal game.
The numbers told the story of Farmington's first half fortunes. The Tigers made just 10 of 26 shots from the field and turned the ball over 13 times.
"We missed a lot of bunnies early and that combined with the physical play got in our heads a little," Wyandt said. "It was a weird day for us. No school, a different starting time. We didn't adjust very well."
All of that changed after intermission as the Tigers roared to a 27-10 start and a 53-38 lead. During that stretch they canned five three-pointers, two by Mac Bassett and one apiece by Darren Beenken, Alex Chadwick and Zach Speikers.
Farmington still led 58-42 before the Blaze started converting at the foul line to pull back in it. Burnsville made 11 of 17 free throws in the second half.
The Blaze pulled to within 67-62 with 1:17 remaining and although the Tigers went cold (3-8) at the foul line the rest of the way, they managed to hold on for the win.
The Tigers put together a step ladder of a scoring effort with Eli Rockett leading the way with 17 points. Bassett had 16, Beenken 15 and Speikers 14.
Rockett made it a statistical double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds. Beenken added eight boards and also led in assists (4) and steals (3).
Friday's championship game with Mahtomedi (6-1) starts at 7:00. The Zephyrs beat the Tigers 73-49 in the same tournament last season.
