Knights edge De Soto for tournament crown

By MATT KING
Daily Journal Sports Writer

PARK HILLS — The Farmington boys basketball team overcame a ragged start against a familiar opponent on Wednesday night to claim its first Central Christmas Tournament championship in three years and fifth all-time.

Forward Lance Miller delivered two clutch jumpers in the closing minutes, and fellow senior Bryan Krause provided the defensive and energetic spark that propelled Farmington to a 55-51 title victory.

Miller totaled 19 points and seven rebounds, and Krause enjoyed a breakout effort with 18 points, six rebounds and five crucial steals for the Knights (8-2), who committed only eight turnovers during their sixth straight win.

The tight and physical battle between district rivals was anything but unexpected. Farmington earned its seventh win by four points or less over the past eight meetings with four requiring overtime to be decided.

De Soto (9-2) trailed by six with 6:00 remaining before getting a needed putback from center Brandon O’Day. Miller later countered with a fade-away for the Knights, but John Bruemmer muscled in missed shot and sank the subsequent free throw with 2:24 left to even the score at 49-49.

Farmington ran a patient ensuing possession and regained the lead when Miller elevated over his defender with a 14-footer near the left elbow. Miller rebounded his own missed shot on the next trip, forcing De Soto to foul.

The Dragons called timeout down three with 26 seconds left, but Krause intercepted a lengthy inbounds pass from the sideline, and made 3-of-4 from the line to solidify the outcome.

De Soto began the contest with an explosive 11-0 run capped by a 2-on-1 layup from senior Adam Jones, but a stellar 75-percent shooting performance during the first half was nullified by 11 turnovers.

The Knights missed eight straight field-goal attempts against the De Soto zone before Nick Baker drove coast to coast for a three-point play. Miller trimmed the deficit to 15-12 with a jumper at the buzzer.

Krause was an especially disruptive force against the De Soto guards in the second period, scoring two transition layups off quick steals. He also forced a 5-second call that preceded another Farmington basket.

Baker, who finished with eight points, scored a go-ahead putback for Farmington just before halftime, and the Knights began the third quarter with a 6-0 spurt. Two baskets from Jared Clippard extended the margin to 36-29.

John Krodinger scored a team-high 13 points, and Bruemmer posted his second double-double of the event with 11 points and 13 boards despite receiving limited touches in the paint.

Jones added 11 points and O’Day scored 10 to give the Dragons four players in double figures. The teams will clash again on Tuesday night in De Soto with district implications at stake.

De Soto  15  14  12  10 - 51

Farmington  12  18  14  11 - 55

SCORING:

De Soto - Krodinger 13, Bruemmer 11, Jones 11, O’Day 10, White 6. 3-point FG - Krodinger 2.

Farmington - Miller 19, Krause 18, Baker 8, Clippard 4, Denman 3, Detring 3. 3-point FG - Miller, Krause, Baker.