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| Zach Speikers 22 points. (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
The Tigers pulled away from Red Wing in overtime to post a 77-67 Missota Conference win over the No. 9-rated (Class 3A) Wingers Friday night in Red Wing.
The victory by Farmington (8-5) was its third straight and second in as many tries in conference play. The Tigers sit alone atop the early Missota standings, a half game ahead of Shakopee, Holy Angels and New Prague.
"It's never easy down there," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said of the road win. "We had some major foul trouble in the first half we had to overcome...It was a very physical game but we stuck with it and played our best in overtime."
The visitors started the night much like they did in Tuesday's win at Northfield, hitting five three-pointers in the first nine minutes to forge a 25-19 lead.
The Wingers clawed back in it to take a 36-34 led to the halftime break due in no small part to a 15-0 advantage in free throw attempts in the opening half. Fortunately for Farmington, the Wingers made just six of those tries to keep the score as close as it was.
Red Wing extended its lead early in the second half and Farmington didn't pull ahead until Mac Bassett swished a three-pointer with a little over three minutes to play.
Two free throws by Bassett and two more by Johnny Dittman gave Farmington a 62-59 lead with a half minute to go before the Wingers' Ryan Boldt hit a three-ball in the final seconds of regulation to force the extra session.
The visitors started quickly in the overtime period with baskets by Mac Bassett, Zach Speikers and Nick Varner igniting an 8-2 opening run.
Red Wing pulled to within three points but the Tigers made seven of eight free throws down the stretch, four by Speikers and three by Bassett, to seal the deal.
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| Johnny Dittman 19 points (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
Wyandt said the foul trouble his team has experienced the past couple of games may have been a blessing in disguise.
"We've been forced to play different combinations of players together and we've found some mixes that work well," he said. "We're also keeping guys fresher and I think that has helped late in games."
The Tigers shot a robust 55.1 percent from the floor and hit 10 of 23 from behind the three-point arc for 43.5 percent.
The Tigers shot a robust 55.1 percent from the floor and hit 10 of 23 from behind the three-point arc for 43.5 percent.
Speikers and Dittman led the Tiger scoring parade with 22 and 19 points respectively. Bassett finished with 15 and Darren Beenken added 13.
Eli Rockett pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Varner and Speikers had six apiece and Beenken grabbed five.
The Tigers don't have much time to savor the hard-earned victory as they entertain two more state-rated conference teams next week. New Prague pays Tiger Gym a visit Tuesday and Holy Angels comes to town on Friday. Game time for both contests is 7:30.
