Tisdell, Central boys basketball team tame Farmington

The Farmington High School boys basketball team hung tough for most of Friday night's game at Central.

But the Knights had no answer for T.J. Tisdell, which is common for Central opponents.

Tisdell, among the region's premier players, poured in a career-high 31 points to help the Tigers pull away for a 71-51 win in their home opener.

Central, which snapped a two-game losing streak, improved to 5-2. The Knights fell to 1-2.

"Tisdell played awesome. We couldn't stop him," said Farmington coach Brett Hale, a former Southeast Missouri State guard.

Tisdell, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, also pulled down 13 rebounds. He is averaging about 20 points and 15 rebounds per game after a junior season that saw him average just more than 16 points and 10 boards.

"He's worked hard. He's hard to guard," Central coach Drew Church said. "We knew coming into the season that he would be a load."

Tisdell, despite facing some of the bigger players he has gone up against all year, made 12 of 14 field-goal attempts, all from within a few feet of the basket. He also hit 7 of 9 free throws.

"I was surprised," Tisdell said about his 31-point outburst that bettered his previous career high of 29 points. "My teammates got me the ball and put me in a position to score. They got me the ball where I was comfortable."

Farmington has several solid inside players, including 6-5 senior Doug Warren and 6-4, 220-pound senior Roper Garrett, a Division I football recruit.

"They're a good team. They played very hard and gave us a challenge," Tisdell said. "They were pretty big and tough. They gave me some trouble in the post."

It didn't help the Knights that Garrett picked up two quick fouls and was in foul trouble much of the night before finally fouling out in the fourth quarter.

"We knew he was a good player," Hale said about Tisdell. "Roper being in foul trouble hurt."

The Tigers need all the production Tisdell can muster since he is the only returning starter from last year's squad that captured the program's first district title since 1997.

Central brought back very little other varsity experience, and Church has tinkered with his lineup throughout the early stages of the season.

The Tigers got a nice lift from sophomore guard Tim Booker, who contributed 13 points Friday.

"He's a quick kid who handles the ball well and is hard to guard," Church said. "He also guards well. He's helped us."

The contest was much closer than the 20-point margin. Farmington trailed just 28-25 at halftime and still was within eight points early in the fourth quarter.

"It seemed like we were always six or eight points behind," Hale said. "Our execution wasn't very good, but they're a good team."

Central led 21-14 after a first quarter that featured five lead changes. Tisdell and Booker did most of the damage in the period with nine and seven points, respectively.

Farmington used a 9-0 run to grab its final lead of the night at 25-23 midway through the second quarter.

Tisdell's basket and free throw with 20 seconds left before halftime sent the Tigers to the break up 28-25.

"Their transition killed us in the first half," Church said. "The second half it was a little better for us."

Central led the entire second half, including 54-46 after three quarters, but never could shake the Knights until the final period. The Tigers scored 15 of the last 18 points.

"Farmington has a good team. Brett does a great job," Church said. "They defend well and they're so strong.

"I'm pleased with the win and it was good to play at home. We always talk about protecting our home court."

The Tigers won't play again until the opening round of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament on Dec. 26.

"We need the practice," Church said.

Farmington 14 11 21 5 -- 51

Central 21 7 26 17 -- 71

FARMINGTON (51) -- Josh Brown 1, Connor Davault 11, Monis Zereik 10, Jordan Ankrom 4, Doug Warren 14, Roper Garrett 4, Alec Sebastian 7. FG 22, FT 5-8, F 17. (3-pointers: Davault 1, Sebastian 1. Fouled out: Garrett)

CENTRAL (71) -- Ross McClanahan 5, Vance Toole 7, Tim Booker 13, T.J. Tisdell 31, Jamal Cox 7, Delontre Haney 2, Mikey Jones 4, Jacob Boerboom 2. FG 27, FT 15-18, F 10. (3-pointers: Toole 1, Booker 1. Fouled out: none)

JV -- Central won 43-39.