Abby girls suffer second OT heartache
Season ends at regional quarterfinal
The Abbotsford girls varsity basketball team found themselves fighting to extend their season in an overtime thriller in Spencer on Tuesday, Feb. 9.
It was the second straight overtime match for the Falcons after taking Prentice to an extra frame at home in their regular season finale.
It was a low-scoring game through much of the first half, as neither team was able to find a rhythm on offense. The Falcons faced a 12-6 deficit with seven minutes remaining before Catie Clement knocked down back to back three pointers to make it 12-12.
The Rockets took a 16-12, but a bucket by freshman Sydney Falteisek was followed by free throws from freshman Briseida Escalera that made it 16-16 with 4:34 remaining in the first frame.
That’s when Spencer’s Heavyn Kind stepped up in a big way, splashing a pair of treys in under a minute. Kind hit one more shot with seconds left in the half to give the Rockets a 28-19 lead at the break.
The Falcons continued to fight uphill in the second half, and as the fouls piled up, so did Abby’s deficit, with Spencer maintaining its double digit lead.
Kind continued to knock down baskets early in the second half, and she led all players with 22 points. Kind’s shooting gave the Rockets a ten point lead, but the Falcons continued to fight and worked to grind the game back to even terms.
Falteisek connected on a jumper in the paint to put the game back to even footing at 40-40 with 5:13 left. The Falcons held Kind in check late in the game, but again the Rockets responded, using a balanced offense to regain their lead.
Amber Becker, Faith Miller and Rebecca Mlsna all found paydirt from the floor to give the Rockets a 48-43 lead with just ninety seconds left in regulation.
Abbotsford dug deep, relying on all their experience and growth, and fought back from the brink. Falteisek with two huge plays. Her steal and layup with 1:04 left made it 48-45. She was fouled in the process, and she converted on the And-1 that brought Abby to within two at 48-46.
The teams traded shots, and Spencer clung to a 52-50 lead, and this time it was Escalera who had the big time play. With ten seconds on the clock, and the Falcons’ season hanging by a thread, Escalera found Falteisek on an inbounds play to give Falteisek an open shot in the paint.
Falteisek showed she had ice in her veins, knocking down a shot to make it 52-52, and send the game to overtime.
But from there it was all Kind and Spencer. The Rockets went to the charity stripe multiple times, converting 10 of 15 free throw attempts to out-score Abby 12-2 in the extra frame for a 64-54 victory that ended the Falcons 2020-21 campaign.
The Falcons lost, but produced one of their most balanced offensive outputs. Three players were in double figures, and seven different players scored.
Falteisek led the way for Abby with 17 points, and Clement and Alea Graff each scored ten points. Brissa Diaz added seven points, and senior guard Mya Ruesch and Escalera had four apiece. Sommer Brodhagen tallied two points.
The Falcons end their season at 4-16, and bid goodbye to their seniors, but will return a ton of talent for next year, with numerous players making big strides in their game that should have Abbotsford fans eager for next season.
