Knightettes leave Oakville behind in third quarter

By MATT KING
Daily Journal Sports Writer

FARMINGTON — The Farmington girls basketball team seized control of a fast-paced contest by forcing eight third-quarter turnovers on Tuesday, and defeated Oakville 70-60 in the opening round of the Farmington Tournament.

Senior guard Taylor Jensen tallied a game-high 22 points with seven assists and five steals for the Knightettes (1-0), who outscored the Lady Tigers 18-5  after the teams entered halftime tied at 29-29.

Molly Barnes highlighted the decisive run with a midcourt steal and layup, then knocked down a corner three-pointer on the ensuing possession. Jensen also connected from long range moments later, and Farmington closed the stanza with a 47-34 advantage.

The Knightettes extended their lead by effectively attacking the basket. Jensen finished a driving layup for a physical three-point play, then scored off another stolen pass as the margin reached 65-41 midway through the fourth.

Barnes scored 16 points and Erin Littrell added 11 with four steals in the victory. Morgan Ankrom led the Knightettes with eight rebounds and scored the first four points of the game on two short jumpers.

Oakville (0-1) increased its defensive intensity to salvage a strong finish, as  sophomore Leslie DeGonia netted five quick points during a 16-2 outburst. Two free throws from Kelly Gallagher cut the deficit to 67-57 with 1:31 left.

DeGonia paced the Lady Tigers with 18 points, while Andrea Boone scored 15 and Gallagher added 10. Boone buried two three-pointers in the second quarter to give Oakville its first lead at 23-20.

Farmington finished 11-for-20 from the line and advanced to Friday’s semifinal round to face Poplar Bluff, which survived two shots in the final seconds to edge Jackson 44-43 on Tuesday.

Oakville  10  19   5  26 - 60

Farmington  12  17  18  23 - 70

SCORING:

Oakville - DeGonia 18, Boone 15, Gallagher 10, Fussell 5, Kinder 4, Norberg 3, Glenn 2, Zehner 2, Walther 1. 3-point FG - DeGonia 2, Boone 2, Fussell.

Farmington - Jensen 22, Barnes 16, Littrell 11, Ankrom 6, Heuring 6, Ernst 5, Knox 2, Bertram 2. 3-point FG - Barnes, Jensen, Ernst.