Falcons still in search of second win of season
The Abbotsford boys basketball team tallied three more losses over the past week, falling to Edgar 62-46 in a Marawood- North/South crossover game on Monday night and then losing two conference games to Chequamegon and Phillips. The Falcons are now 1-14 this season.
Chequamegon, 71-56
Abbotsford could not keep pace with Chequamegon last Friday evening, falling on the road to the Screaming Eagles 71-56.
Needing a win to move up out of the bottom of the Marawood-North, the Falcons could not find the firepower to defeat their conference rivals on their home court. While Abbotsford shot a respectable 44 percent from the field and hit eight three-point shots to their opponents’ four, Chequamegon shot nearly 50 percent and was 13-16 from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Abbotsford only shot four free throws the entire game. Also hurting the Falcons’ chances were their 26 turnovers and the fact that they were out rebounded 32-18 by the Eagles. While Abbotsford was able to hold Chequamegon’s second leading scorer this season, AJ Morgan, to just five points, after the forward had scored 26 in the prior meeting between two teams, Isaiah Deitz wreaked havoc on the Falcons’ defense. He was 11-14 from the field and scored 24 points to lead all scorers.
Blake Bargender had one of his best performances of the season in Chequamegon, his season high 16 points leading the Falcons in scoring and recording four steals. Esteban Gomez had 15 points, four assists, and a team high five steals in the loss, Brandon Diedrich recorded 14 points, and Evan Reis contributed eight points. Grayson Totzke and AJ Brodhagen also scored for Abbotsford, each coming away with two points.
Phillips, 65-57
The Falcons were on the road last Tuesday evening, traveling to Phillips for a Marawood-North conference game. Abbotsford found themselves on the wrong end of a 65-57 final, the loss relegating them to the bottom of the conference standings at this point in the season.
The Loggers took a 12-4 lead on their home court and Abbotsford spent a large part of the first half chasing their opponents. Brandon and Adam Diedrich each tied the game once, at 16-16 and 18-18, but the Falcons could not quite overcome the deficit entirely.
However, they did keep themselves within a single possession for much of the half and that persistence set the visitors up to finally take the lead when Esteban Gomez was fouled shooting a deep two point field goal. Gomez hit the shot and the following free throw, putting Abbotsford up 28-27 with three minutes to play in the first period. A corner three by Phillips on the next possession made that lead short lived and the Loggers had a 31-30 advantage after one half of play.
Phillips started to pull away when play resumed and it seemed that the Falcons had run into another second half wall. The Loggers outscored Abbotsford 21-13 in the first ten minutes of the second period, their 52-43 lead an intimidating obstacle for the visitors to overcome.
However, the Falcons weren’t quite done yet. A turnaround jumper from Brandon Diedrich kicked off a 8-0 run for Abbotsford, capped off by a three from Gomez to bring his team back within one. The run prompted a timeout from Phillips and the Falcons had dragged themselves back into the game.
Despite their heroics to get themselves within one possession of their opponents, the one-point deficit was all the closer Abbotsford would be able to get. The Loggers held on in the final minutes and ultimately kept themselves out of the Marawood-North basement with the 65-57 win.
Adam Diedrich led the Falcons in scoring with 15 points and also had a team high three blocks. Brandon Diedrich and Gomez both had 14 points and two steals apiece. AJ Brodhagen had the most rebounds in the game with 10 and contributed six points on offense. Evan Reis had four points and Grayson Totzke and Blake Bargender both had two.
The Abbotsford boys will be back on the court next Monday, Jan. 23 when they will face Owen-Withee at home. The Blackhawks are currently 11-1 and sit atop the Cloverbelt-East standings. The game is set for a 7:15 p.m. start.
