Farmington boys, Central girls retain MAAA Tournament titles

Feb 10, 2019 @ 12:09am

The 2019 MAAA Tournament ended the same way it did a year ago, with the Farmington Knight boys and the Central Rebel girls standing on top. Farmington handled Potosi 61-34 to win their third straight conference tournament and add on to their regular-season large school division title. The Knights raced out to a 15-4 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, leading by 19 at the half and cruising to their 20th win this season. Senior center Cole Laurence was a dominant force in the paint with a team-high 17 points to earn the Applebee’s Player of the Game:

Noah Jacobsen led the Trojans with 20 points as Potosi fell to 10-11. Knights head coach Terry Noble praised his team’s chemistry and willingness to work together:

The Central Rebels used stingy defense to again win the girls’ MAAA Tournament by defeating North County 46-32. With the game tied at 9 after a quarter of play, the Rebels shut the Raiders down and took a 22-13 halftime lead, and the third quarter saw an even bigger run and the Glister Mary Lee Play of the Game:

Norris finished with 13 points while earning Player of the Game and helping Central improve to 18-3, while Kayleigh Winch led North County with 12 points as the Raiders fell to 12-7. Rebels head coach Josh Mapes credited to the win to balance and big games from players like Norris and Callie Thurston:

The third-place games were also played Saturday at Mineral Area College. Ste. Genevieve edged Potosi 44-42 in the girls’ third-place meeting thanks to a big 17 points from freshman Abby Moore:

Moore came off the bench to become the Player of the Game and help the Dragons improve to 17-3, while the Trojans dropped to 8-13. Third place on the boys side went to Central as they knocked off North County 53-38, with Player of the Game Brent Wagner providing plenty of grin-inducing plays:

Both the Rebels and Raiders are now 12-11.