Falcons earn first conference victory

Faber scores 1,000 points in prep career

The Abbotsford boys basketball team won its first conference game against Prentice on Feb. 2, but could not pair that game with a win, falling at home Marathon on Friday and Rib Lake, to drop to 3-16 on the year.

Prentice, 59-54

The Abbotsford Falcons picked up its first conference victory of the season on Tuesday, Feb. 2. The Falcons hosted a Prentice Buccaneers squad that’s sitting second in the Marawood - North standings, but it was the Falcons who emerged on top on for their second victory in the last four games.

The Falcons bottled up Prentice’s offense, allowing just one Buccaneer to finish with double figures. Abbotsford, on the other hand, turned in one of their best team performances of the season.

Cade Faber, Brandon Diedrich and Hunter Soyk all went off for double figures, and no point was bigger - or elicited a louder response - than a first half Soyk alley-oop that led to a thunderous dunk from the high flying Faber.

That dunk did more than give Abby momentum. It gave Faber his 1,000th point. Faber wasn’t the only Falcon who had a big night.

Soyk and Diedrich continue to come on late in the season. Soyk scored 16 points, his seventh game in the last nine in double figures. Soyk has been incredibly accurate from deep over that stretch, converting 47 percent of his shots.

Perhaps even more impressive was Brandon Diedrich, who once again led Abby in scoring, this time with 18 points. Diedrich is averaging nearly 18 points a game through his last four, and his ability to space the floor allowed Faber to work inside. Between Faber, Soyk and Diedrich, the Falcons went into the locker room with a 21-18 lead.

The two teams’ offense heated up in the second half, with both scoring nearly 40 points apiece in the final frame. The Bucs had nine players score on the evening, but none scored more than Alex Schantner’s 11.

Abby got help from Adam Diedrich and Mason Carpenter, who finished with six and three points, and the Falcons outscored Prentice 38-36 for a rousing victory. Faber had a team high 16 rebounds as Carpenter pulled down six boards. Faber and Soyk both led Abby with a team high seven assists.

77-47

The Falcons fell back to earth on Friday, suffering a loss at the hands of Marawood South member Marathon.

In a microcosm of the 2020-21 season, Abby hung tough with the Red Raiders through the first half, but could not maintain their form in the second half.

Cade Faber struck inside and outside for 13 points, and got help from Hunter Soyk, Bryce Draper and the Diedrichs.

Jaden Koeller and Jaeden Strasser hit a pair of threes for Marathon, but the real story of the game was the Red Raider’s interior presence. Mike Hahn played “Big Boy” basketball in the paint, finish- ing with 16 points and 17 boards.

Thanks to Hahn and Koeller, the Red Raiders took a 26-24 lead into the break.

The Falcons limited Marathon’s threes in the second, holding the Red Raiders to just six of 27 from Down Town, but Hahn continued to score in bunches, adding ten points in the final frame.

Brock Warren, after going scoreless in the first, went off on Abby for 11 points. Marathon also picked up their defense, Mason Carpenter and Soyk nailed threes, and Adam Diedrich scored seven points, but Marathon went on a tear in the last stanza, out-scoring Abby 51-23 in the final half.

Faber led Abby with 15 points and 15 rebounds, but was the only Falcon in double figures. The Diedrichs did well, with Adam scoring nine and Brandon adding eight points. Soyk finished with six points, Carpenter collected five, and Bryce Draper and Brandon Hawkey supplied two apiece.

Rib Lake, 69-58

If you love three point shooting, the first half of the Abbotsford Falcons versus Rib Lake Redmen was the game for you. The two Marawood - North squads scorched the nets on Monday night to the tune of 14 treys in the first half alone.

Hunter Soyk was unconscious in the first half, splashing four triples in the first frame. Soyk had nine of Abby’s first 12 points. Michael Borchardt put the Redmen on his back in the first half. Borchardt came into the game with a season high of 11, but he scored 19 first half points, and led Rib Lake with 24 points.

Abby’s Cade Faber was the best player on the court on Monday. The springy senior pulled down boards and slashed through Rib Lake defenders for several coast-to-coast lay-ups.

He saved his best shot for last, hammering down a two handed flush to keep the Falcons within ten at the break, with Rib Lake holding a 42-32 advantage.

Rib Lake went up 51-39 in the opening minutes of the second half, but Faber and Soyk continued to form a dynamic duo, as each scored double digits. Faber continued to swoop in for booming rim rattling jams, and Soyk pumped in two more treys, but no other Falcon scored more than three points in the second half.

Brandon Hawkey brought Abby to within five at 59-54 with 3:39 to go, but Rib Lake burned time off the clock, forcing the Falcons to foul, and Rib Lake salted the game away with free throws.

Faber finished with a gaudy stat line -28 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and two blocks. Soyk had his season best, scoring 20 points. Hawkey added five, Carpenter scored three but had 10 rebounds. Adam Diedrich added two.