Falteisek records 1,000th career point in win

By Neal Hogden and Nathaniel Underwood

The Abbotsford girls basketball team escaped Columbus Catholic High School in Marshfield with a win and a milestone on Monday night.

Senior Sydney Falteisek began the game six points away from 1,000 career points at the varsity level. She hit that mark with 11:40 to go in the game in front of a crowd of Abbotsford supporters who made the trip to Marshfield.

Getting her 1,000th point didn’t come easy, as Columbus hounded Falteisek defensively throughout the first half. Falteisek scored five quick points in the first nine minutes of the game. Her fast start, combined with a three-pointer from Breseida Escalera and a breakaway layup from Neveah Treankler, allowed the Falcons to grab a 22-16 lead midway through the first half.

Columbus mounted a comeback as they forced Falcon turnovers while making back-to-back shots from beyond the arc to take a 23-22 lead. Falteisek’s three with nine minutes to play in the first half would be the last bucket the Falcons would get to drop in the half as they went into halftime trailing 30-22 to the Dons.

Sitting on five points and having twisted her ankle towards the end of the first half, it was unclear if Falteisek would return to the game and score her 1,000th point. After warming up at halftime, Falteisek came back into the game and head coachAlly Meserole switched up the defense to give the team new life in the second half.

Instead of man-to-man the Falcons displayed a zone defense which troubled the Dons early in the second half. The Falcons trailed by seven points with just over 12 minutes to play in the game. Sommer Brodhagen and Escalera had provided the bulk of the scoring up to this point but the duo had only managed a combined five points in the second half.

Falteisek set a screen for a cutting Falcon player before turning towards the baseline where Escalera was throwing the ball in. Falteisek found herself wide open in the lane and put up the shot to cut the lead to five and give her 1,000 career points.

As soon as the ball went through the net, a wave of relief swept over the Falcons and their fans. The teammates who had dished out plenty of assists throughout the years to Falteisek were now dishing out congratulatory hugs to the senior as the game stopped to recognize her accomplishment.

After the game, Meserole said her Falcon teammates played a huge part in Falteisek’s career-long success.

“Prior to that 1,000th point, the whole team was cheering her on,” Meserole said. “They were looking for her and trying to get her the ball. It shows the awesome teammates she has.”

Crowd members displayed signs and teammates held up a large banner that had Falteisek’s picture on it and a congratulations note. After a brief pause in the action, the game restarted and the Falcons looked like a new team.

The Dons hit the 40-point mark with eight minutes to play in the game and the Falcons knotted the game up at 40 a few minutes later. Escalera hit two free throws to give the Falcons their first lead since it was 22-20 with 6:30 to play in the first half.

The job wasn’t done however as Columbus reclaimed a 4746 lead with 1:30 to play in the game. Free throws were the name of the game as Treankler hit five out of six of her free throw attempts in the last five minutes of the game and Escalera hit two clutch free throws with just over a minute to play.

After Brodhagen missed a pair of free throws, the Dons had 20 seconds and possession of the ball while down two points. The Falcons stymied the Columbus offense for all 20 seconds as the Dons were unable to get a shot off during the final possession. The defensive stand was one that sent the Abbotsford crowd home happy as the Falcons had pulled off a comeback, 49-47 win.

After the game, Meserole said it felt like a switch had flipped after Falteisek secured her 1,000th point.

“What you saw is what we felt,” Meserole said. “I think the 1,000th point was in our head the whole time. I think it was in our heads on Friday too when she was pretty close. As soon as that happened, then it was like, ‘Now let’s just go play basketball.’ Once she had it, it was nice because then we could just go and focus on winning the game.”

Falteisek said excitement was the main thing going through her mind after she had scored her 1,000th point.

“I was just excited and I knew everyone was so supportive of the milestone,” Falteisek said. “So it was really nice knowing that everyone was looking forward to that as well.”

After the excitement had passed, Falteisek said her focus shifted to helping her team win the game.

“I think it brought us a new energy because we were anticipating it all game,” Falteisek said. “I think we definitely played harder after that.”

Meserole said she was proud of Sydney for her accomplishment and said she’s earned it through a lot of hard work throughout the years.

“It shows what hard work can do,” Meserole said. “Sydney was in the gym with us when her older sister Kallie was on the team. She was technically our manager but stepped into drills when we needed another person. You can definitely see what that hard work and focus can do. People don’t see it, but in practice, she’s the hardest worker ever. She never slows down.”

Reflecting on her career, Falteisek said looking up to the seniors when she was younger has made her into the basketball player she is today.

“I definitely looked up to the seniors when I was a freshman,” Falteisek said. “As I got older, I think that I’ve kind of taken that role on of being a leader.”

She also credited her time as a member of her AAU basketball team for instilling a work ethic that has allowed her to score 1,000 points throughout her career.

Edgar, 44-37

The Falcons also took on Edgar over the past week, battling the Wildcats at home last Friday evening. A second half rally put Abbotsford in position to win late in the contest, but they could not hold on to their lead, falling 44-37.

A 13-4 run for the Falcons over the middle minutes of the second period allowed them to come back from their biggest deficit of the game up until that point and eventually pull out to a 34-30 advantage. Briseida Escalera started the run with six straight points for Abbotsford and McKinley Klabon’s three with eight minutes left in the game gave the home team their largest lead of the contest.

However, what had seemed like a resurgent offense suddenly went quiet. Following Klabon’s field goal, the Falcons went scoreless for the next seven-and-a-half minutes, during which the Wildcats put up 12 unanswered points. A free throw from Sydney Falteisek finally ended Abbotsford’s shooting woes, but with under 30 seconds left, the Falcons did not have enough time left to mount another rally.

While the final quarter of the contest was ultimately Abbotsford’s undoing, there were also missed opportunities earlier in the game. The Falcons played solid defense to start the game, holding Edgar to just five points over the first nine minutes. Neveah Treankler’s jumpshot briefly gave them a 6-5 lead, but Edgar responded with a field goal on their very next possession to put themselves back on top. It was a sequence that was repeated numerous times over the course of the game, as later baskets from Sommer Brodhagen, Falteisek and Treankler gave Abbotsford short-lived leads.

Falteisek had a double-double in the loss, putting up 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for the Falcons. Brodhagen added nine points, nine rebounds and four steals as Abbotsford’s second highest scorer. Escalera had six points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in a solid all-around performance, Treankler had four points, Klabon had three and Asia Atkinson ended the game with two points.

PUSHING TO 1,000 - Sydney Falteisek launches a three in the Falcons game against Columbus Catholic. She recorded her 1,000th career point later in the contest.

STAFF PHOTO/NEAL HOGDEN

DRIVING WITH AUTHORITY - Briseida Escalera makes a play towards the basket in the Falcons loss to Edgar last Friday.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD