capitalize on them on the ….
capitalize on them on the offensive end of the floor kept the lead just out of the visitors’ reach.
The Falcons took an early 7-0 lead and extended it to 18-9 after weathering a small comeback from Pittsville. After Calley Ruesch turned a steal into a layup for the Falcons to give them the nine-point advantage, Abbotsford’s offense started to struggle, scoring only three points over the next seven minutes of game time. While Pittsville was only marginally more effective over this stretch, it did keep them within striking distance, and the Falcons went to the locker rooms with their lead whittled down to five.
Another slow start for both teams coming out of the half seemed to work in Pittsville’s favor, as the Panthers cut the lead to three, taking a play out of Abbotsford’s book and getting a transition bucket to make the score 29-26.
Neither team could move the needle in their favor over the next few possessions, leaving the door wide open for their opponents to shift the game in their favor. With nothing happening on their half-court offense, Abbotsford seized the opportunity to push the ball when it presented itself. Briseida Escalera found Sommer Brodhagen down the court and laid a pass over the outstretched hands of a defender. Brodhagen corralled the pass and allowed her defender to sail past before hitting the layup to give the Falcons their first points of the half after nearly five minutes without scoring.
While the play wouldn’t quite start the offense for the Falcons, it kept Pittsville at bay long enough for Abbotsford to figure things out on the offensive side of the ball. A three from Ruesch a few plays later kicked off a run of five straight possessions where Abbotsford came away with points. Sydney Falteisek connected on three of those field goals, leading the home team through the series that finally gave them some breathing room.
With a 42-32 lead and seven minutes to play, Abbotsford did not look back, outscoring the Panthers 10-4 over the final stretch to take the victory.
At the end of the day, turnovers seemed to be the biggest difference between the two teams. Abbotsford scored 23 points off of 32 turnovers from the Panthers, while Pittsville only managed eight points from 16 Falcon turnovers.
Falteisek led the team in scoring and rebounds, finishing the evening with 22 points and 12 rebounds. She also co-led the team with five assists and four steals. Brodhagen contributed 15 points and Escalera had seven points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Ruesch ended the game with five points and four steals, Brissa Diaz had two points and three steals, and Adriana Fuentes-Rivera rounded out the scoring with one point and four rebounds.
The Falcons next game will be against Spencer on Tuesday, Dec. 27. The game time is set for 6:00 p.m.
