(PARK HILLS) The Farmington boys held on against a terrific effort by South Iron to claim the Central Christmas Tournament Championship 66-62.

The Knights pushed their lead to 13 in the first half, but the Panthers battled back and held a four-point advantage in the 3rd. The seesaw battle continued into the 4th quarter with Farmington’s Brandt Gray having the final say.

Farmington held the lead the rest of the way by hitting free throws down the stretch to hold off the Panthers. Coach Terry Noble says with two talented teams competing, toughness became a factor.

Brandt Gray led the Knights with 20 points, while Brock Wakefield pumped in 32 for the Panthers. South Iron, now 11-1, dropped its first game of the year while Farmington improved to 8-1.

The Central Lady Rebels claimed the Christmas Championship for the sixth straight season with a 72-51 win over South Iron. Sophia Horton dominated with 37 points on the night.

Central Coach Josh Mapes thought that this championship may have been the best one…

Central remains undefeated at 12-0, while South Iron drops to 9-2 with both losses to Central.

The Ste. Genevieve Dragons took third place in the girls bracket of the Central Christmas Tournament with a 61-53 win over Arcadia Valley. Maci Reynolds was the Applebee’s Player of the Game, leading the Dragons in scoring with 19 points.

Ste. Genevieve head coach Jordanna Walk-Robison says that they executed the game plan very well.

Gracee Smith led the Tigers in scoring with 22 points. Arcadia Valley falls to 7-5 on the season while Ste. Genevieve improves to 8-3.

In the boys third-place game, it was the Hillsboro Hawks over the Festus Tigers 67-51. Michael Brewer led all scoring with 22 points. Mark Moore scored 20 for the Hawks, including this three-pointer early in the second half.

That was the play of the game. Moore was also named the Applebee’s Player of the Game. Hillsboro head coach Dan Johnson says even though his players wanted to play for the title, they brought the right focus.

Hillsboro improves to 9-4 while Festus Falls to 7-5.

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