After finally reaching state, boys basketball team set up for long-term success
Fans have grown used to seeing South Suburban Conference teams at the state boys basketball tournament.
Just not the two that went this year.
Eagan had not been to the tournament in 19 years, making its last appearance in 2005, before the SSC (which started in 2010-11) even existed. Farmington waited even longer; when the Tigers played at state last week it was their school’s first time there since 1937.
The state tournament has been seeing a steady diet of Lakeville North, Eastview and Apple Valley. Does this year signal a changing of the guard in the South Suburban?
The answer seems to be ... wait and see. Lakeville North likely isn’t going away, and Apple Valley could be poised for a resurgence. Farmington expects to be there with them following a season in which the Tigers tied for third in the South Suburban, held a top-10 state ranking, set a school single-season record for victories and reached the state tournament.
“The next four years, we should have a pretty good group of players,” coach Tharen Johnson said. “Our junior class has been a top-three team in the state all through the youth levels, and during the COVID year (2020) they were the No. 1 team. We feel good about our future.”
The 2023-24 season also gave the Tigers reason to feel good. They finished 24-8 after winning one of their three state tournament games last week at the Target Center and Concordia University in St. Paul.
The victory, 98-69 over Rogers in the consolation semifinals March 21, was Farmington’s first in the state tournament. The school did not win a game in the 1937 tourney, which is its only other appearance.
“I thought we played a decent game against Cretin-Derham Hall,” Johnson said of the Tigers’ 57-56 quarterfinal round loss March 20. “We just missed some layups and free throws we would normally make. We shot really well against Rogers and were able to play our top nine players.”
Farmington trailed CDH by 12 points with about 12 minutes remaining but got back in the game and took a 52-51 lead on Nik Domier’s basket with 4:01 to play. However, that was the Tigers’ last basket, and their last lead. A Farmington shot with three seconds remaining wouldn’t drop, and CDH was on to the semifinals.
Domier had 13 points and seven rebounds, senior forward Brandon Hrncir had 12 points and nine rebounds, senior guard Tyler Beckwith had 11 points and seven rebounds, and senior forward Liam Roche added 10 points.
Although the loss stung, what the Tigers will remember is the community turnout at the Target Center. It was predictably large, considering it was Farmington’s first state tournament game in almost nine decades.
“The community has always supported us, but the game against Cretin-Derham Hall was incredible,” Johnson said. “We had six fan buses and four for the band. We had a bigger crowd there than Cretin even before our fan buses showed up.”
Farmington and Rogers played a wide-open game in the consolation semifinals, with the teams combining for 118 shots and 167 points. The Tigers jumped to a 16-3 lead about three minutes into the game. Rogers pulled within seven points in the second half before Farmington zoomed away. The Tigers made 66 percent of their field goal attempts.
Hrncir and Roche each scored 20 points and combined for seven of Farmington’s 11 three-pointers. Junior reserves Justin Stoneburg and Marshall Gordan had 12 and 10 points in less than 15 minutes on the floor.
Park Center, which was upset by Eagan 73-70 in the quarterfinals, defeated Farmington 90-76 in the consolation championship game March 22 at Concordia. Park Center, which played in the Class 4A championship game the last two years, forced 21 turnovers and converted them into 30 points.
Tyler Beckwith made all seven of his field goal attempts in his final high school game and finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Hrncir had 16 points and junior forward Cole Wilcek had 11.
Players such as Wilcek, Domier, Jonah Ask and Ryan Beckwith will help guide next year’s Tigers. The three seniors on this year’s roster – Hrncir, Tyler Beckwith and Roche – did a lot to make this year’s trip to the state tournament possible. Hrncir and Tyler Beckwith were the Tigers’ top two scores. All three will play college basketball next season – Hrncir at Sioux Falls, Beckwith at Dakota State and Roche at St. Olaf.
Johnson said the seniors’ work ethic rubbed off on the Tigers’ younger players.
“I’d always see those three getting up shots before school started,” Johnson said. “I help coach one of my kids’ travel teams and I’d see them in the gym. They all have talent, but the amount of work those guys put in made them the players they are.”
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