By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – In a defensive battle, the Kennett Eagles took home their 8th Bash Championship in a 28-27 victory over Farmington on Saturday afternoon.

With this title, Kennett matched the host Farmington for the most wins in the tournament’s 44 year history. They have had lots of success at The Bash recently, with this being their sixth-straight appearance in the title game. In that stretch, they have now taken home three trophies. 

The Eagles came in looking to bounce back after their defeat last year against the Tennessee juggernaut, Coffee County. Today, they got it done, but unlike some victories in the past, it did not come easy.

It was a defensive battle in the first half. Farmington played very aggressively, getting physical with the Eagles. It was clear that this was getting to them, and you could see Kennett getting frustrated. 

The Tigers were able to limit Kaley Goodhart, Kennett’s top scorer who the offense runs through. It was difficult for her to score, as she could not find a lot of space to get easy shots up. Combined with two first-half fouls, she was held to just five points in the first half. 

Both quarters were low scoring, as neither team was able to find footing offensively. The first quarter ended in a 10-7 lead in Farmington’s favor, and both teams hoped to have more success in the second quarter.

This was very much not the case, with just 15 points total being scored. Farmington continued to hold their lead, causing all sorts of problems for the Eagles on the offensive end. Going into the break, the Tigers had the advantage, leading 18-14.

Zoey Johnson was leading the way for the Tigers, pouring in a game-high 10 first half points. For the Eagles, Goodhart (5) and Sam Sidoti (7) combine for 12 of the Eagles’ 14 points. 

The second half got no easier for either team, as stout defense from both sides continued. This time, it was Kennett who found the most success, as they contained Farmington for most of the half. 

In the third quarter, the Eagles were propelled by an 8-0 run early in the quarter. This gave them a 25-20 lead, which was their first lead since midway through the first. When the quarter ended, it was 25-22 in favor of Kennett, who held Farmington to just four points in the third. 

The fourth quarter embodied everything The Bash is about. The energy in the gymnasium was extremely high, with the Farmington crowd as loud as they had been the whole game. Both teams were as physical as they were the whole game, which only added to the intensity of the moment. 

These two teams were battling the whole quarter, and their intense defense led to a massive scoring drought for both teams. Neither team scored until 2:52 was left in the quarter, when Goodhart hit a three-pointer to extend the lead to six points.

Farmington finally broke their cold streak a minute later when 8th grader Shaylee DiPrizio knocked down two free-throws. Shortly following this, Madison Ricker made a massive shot from beyond the arc to cut the Kennett lead to just one point with about one minute left in the game.

The final minute was back-and-forth down the floor, with both teams having many possessions. Five straight possessions resulted in a turnover, and both teams were making mistakes on the offensive end. 

Farmington only had two fouls entering the final minute, which ended up hurting them at the end. They intentionally fouled Kennett players to try to get the ball back, but without Kennett in the bonus, time ran out on the Tigers, and they fell but just one point short on their home court. 

Both teams battled up until the end, and the Eagles were the team that came out on top. The bench ran out onto the court, and shortly after, they lifted their championship trophy. Farmington was left devastated after losing such a close game in front of their home crowd. 

Kaley Goodhart led Kennett today with 14 points. Following the game, she was awarded with the tournament’s MVP award, which was much deserved after leading them to the championship win. Sidoti scored seven points of her own, and she also received an All-Tournament Team selection.

Farmington was led by their two All-Tournament selections: Zoey Johnson, who scored 10 points, and Shaylee DiPrizio, who scored six points.

Following the game, the All-Tournament Team and the Sportsmanship Awards were given out. Raymond’s Mollee Messenger, Profile’s Mya Brown, Portsmouth Christian’s Ava Buchanon, and Franklin’s Kourtney Kaplan were selected to the team, as well as the mentioned players on Kennett and Farmington.

Portsmouth Christian Academy were awarded the Team Sportsmanship award, and their Ava Buchanon was awarded the Bill and Betty Vachon Award for individual sportsmanship.

Check out the full photo gallery by KJ Cardinal & Jill Stevens…