Girls and Boys Basketball Reach Respective Championships
By: Tycen Gray
12/3/18
Boys Basketball
The Farmington High School boys basketball team decided to stray away from their usual participation in the Vianney Invitational Tournament in Kirkwood, Missouri, and instead travel to Sullivan, Missouri to compete in the FNCB Bank-It Tournament at Sullivan High School to open up the season.
The Knights received the top seed in the tournament, and held that standard in a 68-32 win in the quarterfinals over St. Clair and a 61-43 semifinal victory against Steelville. The boys then received the 3-seeded host, Sullivan, in the championship match after Sullivan improved to 3-0 with wins over Potosi and Waynesville in the prior tournament games.
Farmington walked into a tough and hostile atmosphere against a lethal 3-point shooting team. However, the Knight’s stifling defense kept the red-hot Eagles at bay the entire night. In the first half, Farmington took advantage of their size and pounded the ball inside at the rim against a much smaller Sullivan squad. In the second half, the Knights got hot from the 3-point line and excelled in the transition game, which powered them to a 70-52 win and steal the trophy from the host.
Brant Gray led the scoring with 21 points on 3/4 shooting from outside. Tycen Gray had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Cole Gerstenberger finished with 12 points along with Cole Laurence, who also accumulated 11 rebounds and 5 blocks. Bryce Sancegraw put up 11 points and 7 assists.
Girls Basketball
The girls basketball team earned themselves the 2-seed in the Fountain City Classic at Desoto High School in Desoto, Missouri on Saturday. The fought their way into the championship after defeating Hillsboro 52-26 in the quarterfinals and Seckman 58-49 in the semifinals. In the championship, they got their first look against Farmington’s biggest rival, the North County Raiders.
The North County Raiders returned all five starters from a district championship team while the Knights only return one from the runner-up team in that same district championship game. The Raiders utilized their experience their entire night en route to a 49-34 victory but Farmington certainly did not go down without a fight.
Senior Macey Pauls paced all Farmington starters with nine points and seven rebounds and Baylee Gilliam had eight points. Senior McKenna Moore came off the bench to find double digits with 10 points to lead the Knights scorers.
3-year starter junior forward Kayleigh Winch of North County put up a game-high 20 points in the contest and Ella Gant finished with eight points and six assists.