Dragons, Raiders, Blackcats, Bulldogs, and Tigers get wins in boys’ action

STE. GENEVIEVE — The Ste. Genevieve Dragons and the Farmington Knights squared off Friday night in MAAA large-school boys’ conference action. The Dragons jumped on the Knights early but Farmington rallied back to knot the game up and send the game into over-time. Ste. Genevieve only managed to score four points in the over-time period, but Farmington only managed to score two points as the Dragons won 54-52.

“This was a tough ball game,” said Ste. Genevieve coach Russell Toombs. “We picked up the intensity early. We played hard and got a big win to start the conference season off.”

The Dragons jumped out to a 19-9 lead after the first quarter. However, Ste. Genevieve got out-scored 10-4 in the second quarter as Farmington cut the Dragons’ lead to 23-19 at the half.

Matt Bader led Ste. Genevieve with 13 points. Seth Fallert had 12 points and Clayton Gegg had 11 points.

Andy Mell led Farmington with 21 points. Ben Schnurbusch and David King each had 10 points apiece.

Ste. Genevieve is now 11-2 (1-0) and will host Chester today. Farmington falls to 5-10 (1-1) and will host Arcadia Valley on Monday.

North County 55, Potosi 42

POTOSI — The Potosi Trojans celebrated homecoming on Friday night by welcoming the North County Raiders for an important conference battle. Unfortunately for the home team, the Raiders did their part to spoil the party, and returned home with a 52-40 victory.

After falling behind 14-8 at the end of the first quarter, the Trojans stormed back with a strong second quarter to pull to within 25-24 at half-time. The Raiders kept a modest lead throughout the second half, and shot well from the free-throw line to pull away in the latter stages of the fourth quarter.

North County coach Bill Martin was pleased with his team’s performance. “Our defense was the difference for us tonight”, said Martin. “Our kids kept their composure and came out strong in the third quarter.”

Despite the loss, Potosi coach Mike Mapes spoke positively about the Trojans’ effort. “It was a real competitive game”, said Mapes. “I was disappointed that we lost, but not with the effort of my kids.”

Brandon Robinson was North County’s leading scorer with 17 points. Dan Braning added 12, while Lucas Hulsey finished with 11. Brian Rook finished a strong game for the Trojans with 17 points, while teammate Kevin McMahan tossed in 15.

North County (11-3) is now 2-0 in conference play, while Potosi (3-10) falls to 0-2. The Raiders will travel across the Mississippi River to face Chester, Illinois on Tuesday. The Trojans will also step out of conference on Tuesday, when they visit Union.

Fredericktown 81, Central 48

PARK HILLS — The Fredericktown Blackcats traveled to Central Friday night for a large-school conference matchup with the Rebels. The Blackcats dominated the contest, picking up an 81-48 win.

D.J. Hinkle led Fredericktown with 24 points and six rebounds. Micah Reutzel had 12 points. Josh Collier had 13 points.

Brice Boren led Central with 13 points. Jared Roark had 10 points and six rebounds.

Fredericktown improves to 7-8 (1-0) and will host South Iron on Tuesday. Central falls to 2-11 (0-2) and will travel to Bismarck on Monday.

West County 79, Kingston 52

CADET — The West County Bulldogs hit the road Friday night and got back on the winning track against the Kingston Cougars. The Bulldogs suffered their first conference loss of the season early this week at the hands of the Arcadia Valley Tigers but turned things around in the right direction Friday night by downing the Cougars 79-52.

John Barnett led West County with 20 points. Jed Momot had 12 points. Chris Armsby, Sam Luebbers, and Jake Sitton each had nine points apiece.

Matt Pinson led Kingston with 18 points. Kent Wicker had 16 points.

West County improves to 6-7 (4-1) and will travel to Bismarck on Tuesday. Kingston falls to 2-6 (2-3) and will host Arcadia Valley on Tuesday.

Arcadia Valley 96, Valley 38

CALEDONIA — The Arcadia Valley Tigers just keep on rolling. The Tigers continued their stampede through the MAAA small-school boys’ conference Friday night with a 96-38 win over the Valley Vikings.

Chris DeMaria led the Tigers with 30 points. Jon Bohannon had 17 points and Bobby Franklin had 11 points.

Tony Orta led Valley with 10 points.

The Tigers are now 12-1 (5-0) and will travel to Farmington on Monday. Valley falls to 0-9 (0-5) and will host Valle on Tuesday.