Falcons girls pick up back to back victories

Well, that didn’t take long. It’s only seven games into the 2021-22 season, but the Abbotsford Falcons girls basketball program has already surpassed last year’s win total of four.

The Falcons pounded the Prentice Buccaneers on Tuesday, Dec. 7, for a 52-33 road victory over their conference rivals, and then dispatched the Thorp Cardinals on Tuesday, Dec. 14, for another road win, to improve to 5-2 on the year, and 2-2 in league action

Prentice, 52-33

The Falcons used a balanced offense to keep Prentice on its heels, sinking any Buccaneer hopes of an upset. The Falcons had nine different players scored at least once, and two Abby hoopsters finished with double digits.

The game certainly didn’t have “blowout” written over it, not in a first half that saw neither team able to make much headway against the other.

Abby sophomore Sommer Brodhagen scored nine points in the first half, but only Sydney Falteisek and Briseida Escalera were able to join Brodhagen in making multiple baskets.

The Falcons put up 22 points on the scoreboard, but so did Prentice, and with the game knotted at halftime 22-22, it could have gone either way.

But if the first half was a back and forth, see-saw style game, the second half was all one way traffic, and the Falcons were the ones driving.

Abbotsford put the pedal to the metal and put the game out of Prentice’s reach with a stifling defense that held the Buccaneers to eleven points in the final half.

Abbotsford’s defensive performance fed directly into their offense, and the Falcons gained the lead and quickly left Prentice behind. Brodhagen continued to score in bunches, finishing with a game high 18 points. Falteisek scored seven points in the second to record 12 points, and the Falcons outscored the Buccaneers 30-11 in the second half.

Escalera finished with six points, and Alea Graff and Bridgett Pogodzinski had four points apiece. Brissa Diaz, Calley Ruesch, McKinley Klabon and Dana Bloch all notched two points apiece.

Thorp, 65-52

The Falcons picked up back to back wins for the second time this season, knocking off the Thorp Cardinals on the road for a non-conference victory.

In doing so, the Falcons picked up their fifth win of the season, and at just seven games into their 2021-22, have already improved upon last year’s four wins.

The 65 points the Falcons put up was just five shy of their season high, and the double digit victory should put a little wind in their sails as 2021 comes to a close.

Stats for the game were not available upon publication. The Falcons next match will be in Rib Lake on Friday.