Abby boys go 1-1 at Elcho Holiday Tournament

The Abbotsford boys basketball team stayed sharp over the holiday break by taking part in the Elcho Holiday Tournament on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

Abby split their games with Sevestopol and Elcho, topping Sevestopol in the first game with an offensive onslaught that saw the two teams combine for 160 points.

Abbotsford defeated the Pioneers 85-75 in what was the Falcons best offensive performance of the season. Four Falcons finished in double digits, with two dropping over 20 points on the Pioneers.

The Falcons had to do it the hard way, fighting back from a 36-30 deficit at the break. Whatever was said in the locker room by head coach Brent Faber did the trick as Abbotsford came storming out of the gates in the last period.

The Falcons offense kicked into high gear, and Abbotsford had its single best half of offense. The Falcons dropped 55 points on Sevestopol in the second half, though the Pioneers still managed to put up another 39 points.

Abbotsford rode the hot hand of Adam and Brandon Diedrich, and it was Adam who turned in the best performance of any Falcon in Elcho.

Adam scored a new season high, knocking down ten of 14 field goal attempts en route to 25 points. His brother Brandon was nearly equally as lethal, scoring 22 points, including a nine for 13 performance from the charity stripe.

But it was another Brandon who proved to be Abby’s X-factor in the first game of the Elcho Holiday Tournament. Senior Brandon Hawkey was a man on a mission, and the rangy 6’4” forward was a force on both sides of the ball.

Hawkey pulled down a team high ten rebounds, and then had his best game of the year on offense, scoring 17 points on a highly efficient eight of ten shooting. Hawkey even showed his range, splashing a triple.

Esteban Gomez had his typical solid performance, also finishing in double digits with 10 points. JV Castillo and Evan Reis had five and four points, and Blake Bargender knocked down his only basket of the game for two points.

Unfortunately, that torrid level of play did not carry over into the Falcons next match, a showdown with the home team, the Elcho Hornets.

The Hornets used a dominant first half on offense and defense to shut down any hint of an Abbotsford upset, out-scoring the Falcons 46-21 in the first half.

The Falcons held Elcho to 35 points in the second half, but their offensive woes continued into the last stanza, with only two Falcons scoring more than six points as Abbotford was limited to 17 points for a 81-35 loss.

Brandon Hawkey scored a game high 11 points for Abby, and Brandon Diedrich collected 10 points. Esteban Gomez and Adam Diedrich were held in check for six and five points.

Gatlin Faber and JV Castillo rounded things out with two points apiece, and the Falcons 2021-22 season record now sits at 3-8 for the year.

The Falcons will take some time off, and will not return to action until Thursday, Jan. 6, when they host the Athens Bluejays for a Marawood - North contest. Tip off is at 7:15 p.m.