Falcons win in OT over O-W, fall to Eagles

By Nathaniel Underwood

The Abbotsford boys basketball team split a pair of contests last week as they defeated the Owen-Withee Blackhawks in overtime on Thursday evening before falling to Auburndale the following night.

Auburndale, 65-50

The final score in Abbotsford’s first loss of the season perhaps did not reflect how close the game was heading into its final minutes, but a string of technical fouls and free throws to the benefit of the visiting Auburndale squad allowed them to curb a Falcons rally and run their lead back out to double-digits.

After falling behind by as many as 17 points in the first minute of the second period, Abbotsford slowly but surely worked themselves back into a contest that looked out of reach after the Eagles went on a 22-6 run to end the first half and start the second. Auburndale’s largest lead of the contest was short lived as Grayson Totzke hit a three on Abbotsford next time down the floor, giving life to an offense that had scored just six points over the last 10 minutes of game time.

It was another shot from beyond the arc courtesy of Totzke that brought the Falcons back within single digits around the halfway point of the period. A steal from Miguel Bautista ended Auburndale’s next possession and turned into a fast break opportunity for Abbotsford. Koren Decker earned himself two free throw attempts after being fouled on a layup attempt and cut the Eagles’ lead down to just seven after sinking both of them.

The visitors managed to hold onto their advantage, but Abbotsford continued to chip away. Down 42-51 with just under three minutes left, Irvin Aguilera hit a key threepoint shot. The Eagles answered with a field goal on their next possession, but AJ Brodhagen once again made it a two possession game after making a contested layup and hitting the free throw that followed. The five-point deficit was the smallest since the eight minute mark in the first half and it looked like momentum was shifting in favor of the Falcons.

Instead, the final two minutes belonged to the Eagles. Auburndale used an offensive rebound on a missed free throw to get an old-fashioned three-point play of their own their next time down the floor. After an empty possession by Abbotsford, the Falcons committed a foul and a technical foul, resulting in four straight free throw attempts for the Eagles. They made three of the four and then, after still keeping the ball after the technical foul, they scored again to suddenly put Abbotsford down by 13.

Another technical foul was called on the Falcons and after Auburndale converted on both free throws and got a basket on the subsequent possession, Abbotsford suddenly went from being down by five to down by 17. In the abnormal ending to the contest, Auburndale scored 12 points in just a minute of game time and made eight of their ten free throw attempts. Meanwhile, Abbotsford only had two possessions over that same stretch.

The Falcons never led on Friday night. After falling behind 12-4, Abbotsford went on a 9-2 run, getting five straight points from Totzke before Christian Fuentes and Bautista followed with baskets of their own to make it a one score game. They could not close that gap, however, as the Eagles controlled the second half of the first period.

Auburndale did much of their damage from underneath the basket and from the free throw line, scoring 36 points in the paint and making 17 of their 23 free throws. Abbotsford, meanwhile, had just 16 points in the paint and attempted just 12 total free throws, making six of them.

Totzke had his third straight 20-plus point game to open the season, putting up 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field. He made four of the Falcons six three-point shots and had his third double-double of the season after bringing down 10 rebounds. Brodhagen added another seven points and Decker and Aguilera both had five points each. Fuentes had four points and six assists, Payton Schreiber added three points and Bautista and Rodrigo Perez both had two points each.

Owen-Withee, 66-63

Thirty-six minutes was not enough to determine a winner last Thursday when Abbotsford hosted Owen-Withee for their second game of the season. Grayson Totzke scored a career-high 34 points and hit the go ahead threepoint shot to start the overtime period, Irvin Aguilera sank another three to put the Falcons up by six and Abbotsford picked up their second win in as many games after outscoring the Blackhawks 10-7 in overtime to win 6663.

While the visiting Owen-Withee squad certainly made it a close game, the Falcons never trailed in their win over the Cloverbelt-East squad. Abbotsford shot 50 percent from the field in the victory, making nine three-pointers and going 13-for-21 from inside the arc. However, a three from Owen-Withee’s Dominic Sherwood as time expired in the second period tied the game at 56-56 and forced overtime.

After winning the tipoff to kick off the extra period, the Falcons wasted no time getting the ball into the hands of Totzke, who nailed the go-ahead three just seven seconds into overtime. After forcing a pair of empty possessions from the Blackhawks, Aguilera hit his three that gave Abbotsford a strong six-point lead. Owen-Withee was able to cut that lead down to two after turning two consecutive steals into fast break baskets. Another turnover by the Falcons put their lead in danger, but Totzke was able to draw a charge to end the visitors’ possession.

Abbotsford made just four of their final eight free throws, but it was enough to hold off the Blackhawks, who managed only one more field goal the rest of the way.

A key run in the first half allowed the Falcons to take control over the contest. After a basket from Owen-Withee tied the game at 14-14, Aguilera immediately found Chase Boller all alone underneath the basket for an easy layup to regain the lead. Boller’s field goal was the start of a 15-3 run for the Falcons. Totzke scored nine of those points and the Blackhawks turned the ball over six times over the six minute stretch.

See FALCONS BB/ Page 13

GETTING THE LOOSE BALL - Jack Sheahan was not afraid to hit the deck while trying to secure a loose ball in the Falcons’ game against Auburndale last Friday. The junior also played a key part in Abby’s overtime win over Owen-Withee earlier in the week, putting up eight points in the win.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD

LIGHTNING FAST TO THE BASKET - Christian Fuentes slips past the Eagles’ defenders for an easy layup. He scored four points and registered six assists.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD Falcons BB

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Owen-Withee managed to whittle that lead back down to four by halftime and tied it once again at 34-34 three minutes into the second half, but Totzke once again had the answer for the Falcons, hitting a turnaround jumper in the lane to retake the lead.

As the leading scorer for the Falcons, Totzke shot an impressive 12-of-16 from the field, making four of his six three-point attempts and also bringing down a teamhigh 15 rebounds. Decker added an additional nine points, all via the three-point shot, Jack Sheahan put up eight points and had four rebounds and Aguilera had seven points and four assists. Fuentes led the team with six assists while scoring four points and Bautista and Boller both had two points each. Schreiber had the second most rebounds for the Falcons, securing 12 in the win. Aguilera, Decker, Fuentes and Bautista all had two steals each.