By JEFF LAMPE
For The Weekly Post
When seedings come out today, Farmington figures to have the loftiest position among area boys basketball teams.
The Farmers (20-6) made new coach Marty Lozier a 20-game winner in his first season with a 60-37 home victory against Orion before the snowstorm hit.
“We really played well and it was a good game to get all the kids some action,” Lozier said.
Farmington was without senior Corbin Rutledge, who occasionally misses games for medical reasons.
While the 6-foot-5 senior is a difference maker on the court, the Farmers have learned to adjust to playing without him, Lozier said. Farmington has also adjusted to facing a steady diet of zone defense.
“A team hasn’t played man-to-man against us since we were at Bloomington Central Catholic” a few weeks ago, Lozier said. “That’s good to get us ready for the regional.”
Boys regional play starts Feb. 19 and Lozier expects a top-four seed in a Class 2A Sub-Sectional that includes Knoxville, Port Byron Riverdale and Rockridge.
Farmington was at Illini Bluffs Tuesday and is home Friday against Peoria Christian, which has been ranked No. 10 in Class 1A.
Brimfield
After getting snowed out last week, the Indians (13-6) opened a busy slate with a 47-41 home win over West Central.
Oliver Heinz led the way with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Still to come for Brimfield were four games in four nights: Wednesday at Delavan and then three homes games, Thursday vs. Havana, Friday vs. Peoria Heights and Saturday vs. Princeville.
After playing only a limited schedule last year, Coach Kevin Kreiter made it a point to pack in games for his players this year.
Elmwood
The Trojans (13-11) snapped a four-game losing streak Tuesday, winning at home on Senior Night vs. Bushnell-Prairie City, 59-52. Andrew Marincic scored 34 points in the win.
Elmwood had a game against South Fulton postponed last week due to snow and lost its other game at Lewistown, 54-37. Elmwood fell behind 16-9 after one quarter and did not get much closer throughout.
Marincic and Victor Lenzi led the Trojans with 13 points apiece.
“If we’re not getting good looks for Marincic or Lenzi, we’ve struggled a bit,” Coach Josh Fugitt said.
Turnovers have been a consistent problem, with Elmwood giving it up without a shot almost 30 percent of the time.
“And we’re still not defending and blocking out at the level that we need to,” Fugitt said.
To make up for defensive issues, Elmwood has played more zone defense than usual, and earlier.
“We’ve typically saved [zone] for later in the season to throw teams off for a few minutes,” Fugitt said. “Win or lose, we’re going to make sure to get back to man-to-man.”
Elmwood is at North Fulton on Friday and hopes to reschedule the South Fulton game.
ROWVA-Williamsfield
R-W (13-13) finished sixth in the Lincoln Trail Conference tournament, splitting two games last week. Knoxville won the LTC event, topping A-Town 63-53. Mercer County beat United, 70-55, to place third.
Last Friday, the Cougars topped Stark County, 58-47, after jumping to a 21-point lead in the first half and then holding off the Rebels.
Graham Wight led with 14 points, Carson Malek and Dylan Tucker added 13 and Adam Kohl scored 10.
Saturday was a different story, as R-W allowed 9-for-16 shooting on 3-pointers in the first half of a 64-53 loss to Ridgewood.
“If you’re standing out there with nobody on you, 9-for-16 is good, but we left them too much room,” R-W Coach Bob Anderson said. “We did a better job on them in the second half, we were just too far down to get back on them.”
After trailing by 20 at halftime. R-W closed to within 10 and had the ball, but could come no closer. Malek had 16 and Wight added 10.
R-W was to face Knoxville Tuesday, plays at Galva on Friday and then at Illini Bluffs on Saturday.
Princeville
Princeville (9-11) followed up an 8th-place finish at the LTC last week with a 44-42 upset of A-Town on Tuesday. Tayshaun Kieser and Marcus Daily each scored 12 points.
At the LTC, the Princes loston Friday to Ridgewood (53-37) and last Saturday to Stark County (59-50).
The Princes were to home vs. Mercer County on Friday.
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