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| Darren Beenken 11 points, 8 rebounds (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
The defeat was the first in three league games for the Tigers. New Prague evened its early conference mark at 1-1.
Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said his team did some good things in its conference home debut but in the end didn't get the job done on the glass.
"Rebounding is always important," Wyandt said, "but in this game against this team it was even more so.
"I think we lost our composure at times and got a little rattled. That led to poor positioning, lack of concentration and a lot of second chances for them (New Prague).
Darren Beenken (11 points), Zach Speikers (8) and Eli Rockett (7) accounted for all but three of the Farmington points in the opening half as the Tigers hit the break with a 29-23 lead.
But the lead could have been much bigger had the home team shot the ball with any type of consistency (35 percent) or converted at the foul line (4 of 10).
"Defensively we had a good half but we couldn't make a shot," Wyandt said. "We had a lot of looks from three but most of them didn't come out of our offense. When they come from inside out we shoot the ball a lot better."
New Prague shot only 31 percent in the opening half but started the second period making six of its first seven shots to set up nail-biter of a finish.
The Trojans took their fist lead at the 13:10 mark before the Tigers wrestled back the lead on the shooting of Johnny Dittman and Alex Chadwick at 53-51 with six minutes remaining.
New Prague held its biggest lead at 58-53 when it converted four straight free throws when Rockett picked up his fourth foul and then drew a technical foul to finish his night's work.
A drive by Nick Varner and a triple by Speikers with 2:10 left tied the score at 58's but that would be Farmington's last point of the night. Speikers' three-point try from the left wing for the tie bounced off the rim with 4.4 seconds to play.
"We missed a couple of bunnies toward the end," Wyandt said, "and that hurt us, but like I said rebounding was the big difference."
Farmington finished the night shooting a tepid 35 percent from the floor and an anemic nine for 19 from the foul line (47 percent).
Speikers scored six points in the second half and finished with 14 to lead Farmington scorers. Beenken had 11 and Rockett 10.
Beenken added a team-high eight rebounds and three assists to his ledger. Varner pulled down seven rebounds and Dittman and Mac Bassett each had three assists.
It's out of the frying pan and into the fire Friday when Holy Angels pays a visit to Tiger Gym. The Stars, another rated Class 3A team (No. 4), are 2-0 in conference play after a 75-70 win over Red Wing Tuesday night.
"It's a cliche," Wyandt said, "but every game in the Missota this year is going to be tough. That's why it is so important we win on our home floor."
