Abby snaps skid with back-to-back wins
The Abbotsford Falcons boys basketball team broke out of their eight game funk in a big way, scoring a pair of home wins over Assumption and Granton.
The wins earn the Falcons back to back victories for the first time this season. The two victories improves Abby’s record to 5-16 on the year, and 2-13 in Marawood action.
71-61
The Abbotsford Falcons have been close in nearly all their games, but have faced a variety of problems this season, ranging from illness to inexperience.
On Friday, the Falcons finally put it all together as they defeated the Assumption Royals at home, and in doing so, snapped an eight game skid that stretched all the way back to early January.
Cade Faber was the engine that powered the Falcons, but Mason Carpenter, Reiley Schreiber, Hunter Soyk and Blake Draper were the wheels, and the Falcons raced out to a 32-24 lead at halftime.
Despite having sharp shooters like Draper and Soyk on the team, the Falcons attempted just seven attempts from deep, hitting home on three treys.
Instead, Abby chose to go inside, battering away in the paint as they enjoyed one of their best shooting nights of the season, converting 50 percent of their shots, finishing 26 of 52 from the floor.
That’s not to say Assumption was an easy out, far from it, especially in the second half. That’s when things got interesting, perhaps far more interesting than Abby would have liked.
In the second half the Royals’ offense began to click, and Assumption rattled off 37 points in the last period.
The Falcons relied on their well-balanced attack to handle the Royals, and the Falcons added 39 points to their first half total to earn a 71-61 victory.
The final score was well above the Falcons season average of 50 points per game. Faber dominated the proceedings, gashing the Royals for 25 points. Faber made it a double-double with a team high 19 rebounds.
Draper played one of his best games of the season, dropping 16 points and distributing a team high eight assists.
The Falcons’ reliable one-two punch of Faber and Draper kept Abby in the game, but the difference maker was Mason Carpenter. The tall and lanky junior has seen his game grow by leaps and bounds this year, and on Friday, Carpenter took another big step.
Carpenter finished with 13 points - a new career high - and nearly had a double- double as he reeled in nine rebounds. Carpenter also cashed in from repeated trips to the charity stripe, converting six of eight free throws.
Senior center Reiley Schreiber had some foul trouble, but finished with nine points. Soyk added six points and Brandon Diedrich chipped in with two.
73-48
A pair of threes from an unlikely source highlighted the Abbotsford Falcons game with the Granton Bulldogs on Monday night.
Ryan Gunderson scored the last six points for Abby, splashing a pair of triples, one at the buzzer, to give Abby back to back wins for the first time on the year - and some wind in the sails as the Falcons prep for the final regular season games of the year.
“It’s nice to get to score,” Gunderson said about his two big shots. “It’s nice to win. Let’s do this, let’s go!”
The Falcons certainly did go, with Cade Faber once again doing the damage early on. Faber struck from all parts of the floor, hitting from outside, with four triples alone in the first half, and then electrifying the crowd with a pair of slam dunks.
Hunter Soyk was feeling it early as he buried a pair of treys. Baskets by Blake Draper and Mason Carpenter gave the Falcons an early 46-24 lead going into the locker room. By the second half, the Falcons were in cruise control, with many of their starters sitting on the bench.
Aside from Gunderson, Soyk continued to deliver, scoring 10 points in the second half. Adam and Brandon Diedrich got in the mix, and by games end seven different Falcons had scored, with Abby out-pacing Granton 27-24 in the last stanza.
Faber, in just 27 minutes, pumped in 26 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, had seven steals and six assists. Soyk was just three points away from his season high, collecting 19 points to go with four assists.
Draper finished with nine points, Gunderson had six, Brandon Diedrich added five and Carpenter and Adam Diedrich scored four apiece.
The Falcons will be looking to make it a hat trick of wins when they host the Phillips Loggers this Friday. The Loggers are second in the Marawood - North Conference standings. It’s a match-up the Falcons are looking forward to, after nearly pulling off the upset in Phillips on Jan. 3. That was a 56-52 loss - but since then, the Falcons have made huge strides as a team.
“I feel like the team’s really coming together, and just in time, with the regular season almost over,” Soyk said. “Hopefully we can keep this momentum going for a little bit longer.”
Tip-off for Friday’s game is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
