Third seed Rockridge Rockets took the lead at 6:08 in the 1st quarter and never gave it back. They advance to the semifinal round on the heels of a 48-36 win over the Farmers of Farmington. Points in the paint were the key category in this one, as Rockridge used short distance, high-percentage buckets to lead the category by a count of 28-8. Rockridge also out-rebounded Farmington 27-20, including converting nine offensive rebounds into nine second-chance points. The Farmers creeped back, coming within four points when it was a 32-28 score as recent as 3:01 left in the 3rd quarter. But Rockridge extended their lead shortly after and never looked back.
Rockridge had two double-digit scorers in Carson Klemme (12 points) and Caleb Cunico (10 points). Landon Bull pitched in eight points and had a game-high seven rebounds. Landon Wheatley had half of his team’s eight steals, netting him a healthy four. The Rockets played a fairly clean game, only turning the ball over nine times in the contest.
Farmington got 16 a game-high 16 points from reigning All-Tournament player Keauntrey Barnes. Barnes also tied for the team lead in rebounds (four) with Landon Crawford.
Rockridge (10-3) advances to the semifinal round, where they will play West Hancock in Game 21, Saturday afternoon at 1:00pm. Farmington’s (6-5) tournament continues as well. They will meet Illini Bluffs in Game 19, Saturday morning at 9:00am, with a spot in the 5th place game on the line.
Box Score
Farmington Info
Rockridge Info
Chris Derry
December 29, 2023