Abbotsford armed with experience
The Abbotsford Falcons are off to a fast start this season, picking up two victories in their first three contests.
That’s a welcome and significant sign of progress for returning head coach Ally Meserole and Abbotsford after the Falcons struggled to get wins last season, finishing with a 4-14 record overall and a 2-10 mark in league play.
“I would say the theme of this year would be to finish. Last year we did a really good job of being competitive, but we rarely finished,” Meserole said. “We would lose by two, four, have the lead and then lose in the end. That was because of lack of experience from the girls, and as a coaching staff. So I think being able to finish needs to be our focus.”
Mya Ruesch and Catie Clement, two of Abby’s leading scorers last year, graduated. But if there is one silver lining to last year, it’s that several Falcons got valuable experience playing varsity. None benefited more than last year’s freshmen Sydney Falteisek, Briseida Escalera and Sommer Brodhagen.
All three are back, along with seniors Alea Graff and Bridgett Pogodzinski, and they will form the backbone of this year’s squad. Brissa Diaz and Adriana Fuentes and Calley Ruesch, among others, will provide depth and scoring options for Meserole and her Falcons. “I think Sydney is our playmaker. If we need to score two points, she’ll find a way to score two points, but I think Briseida does a phenomenal job of seeing the floor and finding the gaps and taking the open shot,” Meserole said.
Falteisek ended last year as the leading scorer for the Falcons, while Graff was the fourth best scorer for Abby. Graff also led the team in rebounds. Behind them, Meserole sees several other players capable of contributing.
“Brissa is probably going to be a top scorer because she’s so fast, and she’s going to get plenty of fast breaks. I think we could have five or six girls scoring.”
The Falcons also benefited from a more normal summer, and they took advantage with summer league tournaments. The team chalks their quick start to those summer games.
“I think us getting work in the offseason helped, and I think this year we will be a faster team,” Falteisek said. “We also had a summer tournament in Barron, and we played higher division schools, and I think that gives us more confidence coming into this year.”
Another factor to the quick start is continuity. Meserole and her coaching staff are now into their third season, and that consistency is paying dividends.
“I definitely think it’s easier having the consistency,” Meserole said about. “We started the first day of practice pretty much where we ended last year. We don’t have to talk a lot about the basics. We’re able to move on from where we ended, and we’re moving so much faster than we have in the past.”
With Ruesch and Clement gone, the leaders of this team will be a mix of seniors like Graff and Pogodzinski, but also the sophomore class.
Graff knows she’ll need to be more vocal on the court, and the message she hopes to convey to her teammates is one of giving every game your best shot.
“As a senior, I feel like I’m going to have push players more and kinda give them a standpoint as to where to be and help them reach their goals so we can have a more successful team this year,” Graff said. “I just want to push everything to be their best.”
Graff also encourages younger players to chase their shots, and not to think too much during the game.
“Sometimes you put it all behind you, like your fear of messing up during the games,” Graff said. “I think we have more confidence just going for it and taking chances to score.”
This season will see a continued focus on improving, and adding more wins to last year’s total, but the wins are secondary to Meserole’s main goal, which is to have fun and enjoy the experience.
“This sounds cheesy, but my big goal is that the girls enjoy themselves. I think at Abbotsford, we try to coach for opportunities and experiences. Of course we want to win games, and I would like to see a winning season, and I do think we are going to be competitive.”
