Dragons Show Fire, Beating Farmington
By ERIC X. VICCARO
EVICCARO@STEGENHERALD.COM
The Ste. Genevieve High School boys’ basketball team sure picked a fine time to play, perhaps, its best game of the 2020-21 season.
The Dragons outscored Farmington 29-17 in the second quarter — for a 43-30 halftime cushion — en route to a 76-58 Mineral Area Activities Association Large School Division victory at Peggy J. Johnson Gymnasium.
Two things fell gracefully on this Friday night, snow onto grassy surfaces outside the gymnasium and Dragons’ 3-pointers.
It was a team effort from beyond the 3-point arc, too, with Ricky Hunter, Blake Morganthaler, Logan Trollinger, Anthony Nash, Aiden Boyer and Rudy Flieg all converting at least one attempt.
“We did shoot the ball really well from outside,” said Ste. Genevieve head coach Robert Coleman. “We hit some big shots that stopped any of their runs, and allowed us to pull away.”
Coleman noted as Farmington’s defense sagged more into the paint, that made outside shooting a more comfortable premise.
Hunter was the Dragons’ leading scorer with 16 points; however, 10 different Ste. Genevieve players were entered into the scorebook.
“The boys played really well,” Coleman said. “Our defense was good throughout all four quarters. Rebounding in general was really good. Our offensive rebounding allowed us to get some easy buckets and stopped them from transitioning the other way.”
Coleman also expressed delight in how Ste. Genevieve defenders guarded Farmington players closely, almost face to face.
Boyer was the Dragons’ leading rebounder with eight (including three on the offensive glass) and Nash contributed six. Both Thomas O’Brien and Trollinger dished off three assists. O’Brien and Hunter also contributed two steals each.
Ste. Genevieve and Farmington traded 3-ball for 3-ball midway through the second
quarter before a Morganthaler 3-pointer from the right wing, two O’Brien free throws and a pair of baskets inside from Nash and Boyer lifted the Dragons to that 13-point bulge at the break.
Ste. Genevieve didn’t let up in the third quarter, as the Dragons outscored the Knights 24-15 for a 67-45 edge.
Hunter’s final 3-ball gave the Dragons their largest lead of the game at 29 points, 74-45, with 6:39 left in the fourth quarter.
Mainly reserves played in the closing three minutes.
