Falcons soar past Rib Lake, upset by Red Raiders

By Nathaniel Underwood

The Abbotsford girls basketball team went 1-1 over the past week of play, delivering a key conference victory with a 19-point victory over Rib Lake this Monday but falling to the Marathon Red Raiders last Thursday.

Rib Lake, 51-32

Abbotsford completed the regular season sweep over Marawood-North foe Rib Lake on Monday evening, using an offensive onslaught in the first half while shutting down the Redmen on defense in the second period to take a convincing 51-32 win at home.

The Falcons put up 36 points in the opening 18 minutes of the contest and then followed it up by holding Rib Lake to just nine points over the final 18. The visiting squad made just 19.6 percent of their shots, including going 1-for-20 from three-point range while the Falcons shot 42.6 percent overall and made five of their 13 three-point attempts.

A key stretch in the middle of the first half helped Abbotsford secure their second win over Rib Lake this season. Holding a slim 1211 lead with 12 minutes to play, the Falcons offense took off. Neveah Treankler started the scoring off with four straight free throws and a basket from Briseida Escalera made it six straight points. A pair of triples from Celia Schindler as well as threes from Sommer Brodhagen and Sydney Falteisek helped propel a 24 point spurt over the next nine minutes of play, allowing the Falcons to take a 36-20 lead.

The second half was a completely different game, with both offenses slowing down considerably. After a combined 59 points in the first period, the two teams scored less than half that in the second.

Given the more defensive nature of the second period, an 11-2 run in the second period sealed the victory for the Falcons. Holding a 38-26 lead, field goals from Brodhagen, Falteisek, Escalera and Azul Diaz fueled the most efficient set of possessions of the half for Abbotsford. At the same time, the visitors came up empty on eight straight possessions and scored on just one of their seven shot attempts. After the make, the Falcons forced Rib Lake into turnovers on six straight times down the court, cementing their hold on the contest.

Brodhagen led all scorers with 16 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and bringing down six rebounds and coming up with five steals. Falteisek picked up a double-double, scoring 15 points and claiming 12 rebounds. Schindler and Treankler both ended the game with six points each and Escalera had four points, six rebounds and a team-high four assists. Diaz and Marilyn Hammock finished with two points each.

Marathon, 49-39

Slow starts to both the first and second halves were the Falcons undoing in Marathon last Thursday evening. Abbotsford was outscored 12-2 in the opening five minutes of the first half and then 15-7 over the first eight minutes of the second period, allowing the Red Raiders to claim a 49-39 upset victory over the visiting Falcons. Abbotsford made steady rallies to put themselves back in the contest, but the Red Raiders defense kept them in check early to take control of the game. Marathon also commanded the paint, bringing down 41 rebounds to the Falcons’ 24 and outscoring the visiting squad 34-16 on shots taken near the basket. Sommer Brodhagen gave Abbotsford a brief 2-0 lead after connecting on two free throws to kick off the scoring, but it was all Red Raiders for the next five minutes. They scored on six of their next nine possessions while forcing the Falcons into five turnovers. Brodhagen put in Abbotsford’s first field goal of the game at the 12:30 mark, but by then the visitors had put up 12 straight points. A basket from Sydney Falteisek and another free throw courtesy of Brodhagen brought the Falcons back within two possessions. The two seniors would carry Abbotsford through the first half, accounting for all 20 points scored in the period. Though Marathon dragged their lead back out to 10, going up 18-8, a 12-3 run capped off with a three from Falteisek made it a one score

See ABBY GIRLS BB/ Page 18

UNSTOPPABLE FORCE - Sydney Falteisek scores one of her six baskets against Rib Lake on Monday evening.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD

DRIVING TO THE BASKET - Celia Schindler dribbles around her Rib Lake defender in the Falcons’ win over their conference foes. She hit two threepoint shots in the contest.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD

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game with a minute left in the half. The Red Raiders responded with two baskets of their own, but Brodhagen finished the half with a floater in the lane to make the score 25-20 heading to the locker rooms.

Marathon slowly but surely rebuilt their double-digit lead in the beginning of the second period. They doubled up the Falcons over the next eight minutes and took a 40-27 advantage.

Despite being dealt their largest deficit of the game, Abbotsford mounted yet another rally. Their defense held Marathon to just one point in seven minutes of play and consecutive baskets from Neveah Treankler and Falteisek brought the Falcons back within five with three minutes to play. However, the Red Raiders offense came back to life when they needed it most, scoring eight points over the final two minutes and dealingAbbotsford the 49-39 defeat.

Falteisek was one rebound shy of a double-double, putting up 19 points and nine rebounds in the loss. Brodhagen had 12 points and four assists as the other major piece of the Falcons’offense. Treankler and Briseida Escalera both ended the game with three points and Celia Schinlder finished with two. Escalera led all players with four steals and McKinley Klabon had three herself.

FULL COURT PRESSURE - Neveah Treankler harasses Rib Lake’s ball handler in the Falcons victory on Monday evening.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD