Farmington Storms Back to Top Amistad, Claim 1st State Title

UNCASVILLE, CT - What a difference a half can make. Top-ranked Farmington overcame a nine-point halftime deficit and outscored its opponent 39-20 in the second half en route to a 55-45 victory over No. 9 Amistad Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena to claim its first Division III state championship in school history.

Makhi Hawkins poured in a game-high 20 points while teammate Bube Momah had a double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds. Grayson Herr also chipped in with six points and 11 rebounds for the Indians (18-3), who had been 0-2 in the state finals before Sunday's win.

Farmington head coach Duane Witter said after the game he was "speechless" and called the win "surreal."

"I thought (the kids) showed character again," Witter said. "We didn't have a great first half, and Amistad played very well and took us out of everything that we wanted to do. We missed some shots, but this team has a lot of character. They were not gonna lose this game — they were not gonna let it slip away."

Amistad (14-7) held an early 12-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter after Edwards sank a jumper at the buzzer to give the Wolves a five-point lead.

Farmington had a chance to tie the game at 16 midway through the second quarter, but Jake Dunst missed a layup on a fast break following a steal, and Cyprien Joseph hit a 3-pointer on the very next possession to push Amistad's lead to 19-14. Edwards once again scored for Amistad as the quarter came to an end, this time hitting a runner in the lane with just under a minute left to lift the Wolves to a 25-16 halftime lead.

Farmington went on a 12-0 run to open the third quarter and take its first lead of the game, scoring 10 of those points in an onslaught that took less than a minute. Momah tied the game at 25 on a basket in the paint in which he was fouled, and then he converted the free throw to make it 26-25 with 7:01 left in the third. About a minute later, Momah threw down an electric two-handed jam on a breakaway to put the Indians up 28-25 and ignite the Farmington student fan section, which was in full throat for the entire game.

Both teams traded points the rest of the quarter, and Joseph ended the frame with a bucket in the paint to cut Farmington's lead to 40-35 after Amistad was outscored 24-10 in the quarter.

Amistad's Eli Blackwell nearly tied the game at 43 apiece halfway through the fourth quarter, but his jumper rimmed out, and Farmington held on to a slim two-point advantage.

Momah's lay in with about 90 seconds left in the game put Farmington up 50-43, and the Indians were able to convert their free throws from the charity stripe to hang on to the win.

Edwards led the scoring attack for Amistad, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Joseph added 11 points of his own. Isaiah Joyner also had a good game for the Wolves, finishing with nine points and eight rebounds.

For Farmington and Witter, the win was a dream come true.

"I've been dreaming about this my whole life," Witter said. "It means everything to me."