Boys Basketball: Red Wing stunned by late run

The shots were falling all night for Farmington, and Red Wing kept weathering the storm.

The Wingers led 54-47 with 6 minutes, 37 seconds left in the second half before the Tigers broke through with a 13-2 run to take control at the 1:59 mark.

“We didn’t rebound and I thought we played a little scared,” Red Wing head coach Doug Toivonen said of letting Farmington back in the game. “We didn’t play as tough as we needed to.”

Ryan Boldt did his best to give Red Wing a chance at victory, hitting a game-tying 3-pointer to send the game into overtime, but the Tigers were unfazed and knocked off the ninth-ranked (3A) Wingers 77-67 in the extra period.

“I was disappointed in the last five minutes; disappointed we didn’t rebound and play with toughness,” Toivonen said. “We pretty much let them do what they wanted to. Even in overtime.”

Farmington (8-5, 2-0 Missota) had four players score in double figures, led by Johnny Dittman with 21 points. He scored 12 points in the final seven minutes of the second half, but also committed 10 turnovers in the game. Zach Speikers had 20 points, six rebounds and three steals while Mackinley Basset tallied 15 points and Darren Beenken had 13 points and eight rebounds in the win.

Ty Buck led the Red Wing, which shot just 7 of 29 from behind the 3-point line, with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Isaac Toivonen contributed 13 points and four steals, while Jon Sevlie finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Boldt had seven points, five rebounds, three assists and five steals.

The Tigers shot 10 of 24 on 3-pointers Friday night and started the game on fire, making five 3’s in the first nine minutes of the first half, establishing a 25-19 lead. Despite its shooting prowess, Farmington got in foul trouble and put the Wingers in the bonus with 8:14 remaining in the first half.

Red Wing (7-4, 0-1 Missota) was unable to take full advantage, knocking down only 6 of 15 free-throw attempts, including two front ends of 1-and-1’s and two untimed free throws at the end of the second half while still leading 36-34 at halftime.

By the 15:01 mark of the second half, the Tigers had four players with three or more fouls and the Wingers were up 42-38. Red Wing maintained control until Dittman caught fire and Bassett gave Farmington its first lead of the second half at 58-56 on a 3-pointer with 3:11 remaining. Dittman knocked down two free throws for a 60-56 lead, followed by a 3-pointer from Sevlie to cut the lead to one and Bassett made two more free throws for a 62-59 lead with 31 seconds remaining.

On the ensuing possession, Boldt received a ball screen and knocked down a 3 with three seconds left.

“I was supposed to get in the lane and draw the defenders,” Boldt said. “I saw an opening and I shot it. Luckily it went in.”

The momentum didn’t carry over for Red Wing as the Tigers opened the overtime with a 6-0 run. Buck cut the deficit to 68-65 with 1:20 left but Farmington sank 7 of 8 free throws in the extra period to seal the win.

It was a frustrating loss for the Wingers who play again Tuesday against fourth-ranked (3A) Holy Angels (8-3, 1-0 Missota) in Richfield.

“We just have to hit practice hard Monday and forget about this game,” Buck said. “We got to work a little harder so we can finish games like this.”

Tags: boys basketball, red wing, sports, prep