So far this season, it’s been all smiles and cheers for Farmington and its sophomore standouts. The Tigers kept their perfect record alive on Friday in dominant fashion as they rolled past Shakopee 68-46 at Shakopee High School.

Hart and Kindseth were a small part of the story for the Tigers, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News. Five players helped Farmington (12-0, 6-0) jump out to a 14-3 advantage early, forcing Shakopee (9-3, 4-2) to use two timeouts in the first six minutes of the contest.

“We just like to share the ball,” Hart said. “We also like to play good defense. That means we can push the ball.”

But as the game wore on, Hart’s star shined. She played a significant role with fellow center Kaitlin Winslow in foul trouble. Hart racked up a team-high 18 points in the win.

Hart and Kindseth are part of a sophomore group that combined for 38 points Friday. They are progressing quickly as they play their second year at the varsity level. But their success isn’t a surprise to Farmington coach Liz Carpentier, who watched this group play in the Farmington travel league.

“Watching these sophomores play in our traveling association growing up, we knew they were coming in as winners,” Carpentier said. “They’ve matched really well with our junior class and a great senior in Kaitlin Winston.”

While the sophomore class has been impressive this season, the junior group has also been significant to success. Junior guard Molly Mogenson racked up 10 points in the second half to go along with 13 rebounds.

Friday’s victory was just one of many Farmington wins this season that have come by wide margins. The Tigers have only played in one game where they won by less than 10 points — a 53-46 win Dec. 18 against Apple Valley. Friday’s 22-point win was the closest game Farmington has played in since the calendar turned to 2019.

“This is a group that has really high expectations of themselves,” Carpentier said. “They come in every night and know that we can’t take a night off in our conference.”

So far, the Tigers have yet to play any team currently ranked in the top 10 in Class 4A. But that will change in the coming week when Farmington faces No. 5-4A Eastview. So far, the opponent hasn’t mattered much to the Tigers as they have conquered every challenge in their way.

“Our motto this year has been that the opponent doesn’t matter and where we play doesn’t matter,” Carpentier said. “So far, we’ve lived up to that hype.”