FALCONS FALL TO KNIGHTS

Wescare 38 – Arborbrook 35

A tremendously exciting game came down to the last shot that hit off the back of the rim and bounced out as the Falcons (4-4) lost their second straight heartbreaker to the Wescare Knights.  The Falcons quickly fell behind 3-0 before Matthew Pedemonte dropped in two straight buckets for a 4-3 Falcon lead.  The Knights two big guys would take over the rest of the first quarter and split the Falcon defense for some easy buckets.  Joel VanDusen knocked down 3 points to keep the Falcons within striking range as they went to the second quarter trailing 13-8.  The Offense sputtered in the second quarter but the defense tightened and held Wescare to only one shot on almost every possession.  Kyle Boutross made two driving baskets in the lane to keep the Falcons close but they still trailed 19-13 at the halftime break.  We had not played extremely well offensively the first half as many of our shots rimmed out but all year long we have been a second half team and we were now controlling the boards.  Coach was confident we would come back.  This game was far from over.

Ryan Brown finally saw a couple of shots drop in the third quarter and Matthew Pedemonte made a terrific basket went he took a rebound off the defensive boards and drove coast to coast through the Wescare care defense and layed the ball in at the other end.  Wescare still could not get an offensive rebound but hit a couple of long shots and held a 28-21 lead as the fourth quarter began.  The Falcons came out strong and baskets by Caleb Robinson, Matthew, Ryan, and a 3 point play by Kyle gave the Falcons their first lead since the first quarter at 32-28 with 4 minutes left in the game.  Wescare tied the game at 30 and then took a 4 point lead going into the final two minutes.  Ryan Brown brought the Falcons back to within two and Kyle Boutross tied the game once again with less than a minute to go with a short jump shot inside the paint.  Wescare would take a 36-34 lead when they grabbed their only offensive rebound of the second half on the front on the front end of a missed one and one free throw and put it back in.   Caleb Robinson shaved a point off the lead with a free throw but the Falcons were forced to foul with only 12 seconds left in the game.  The Knights made both free throws and pushed their lead to 38-35.  The Falcons moved the ball to mid court and called time out with 7 seconds left.  Coach set up a play that worked perfectly and gave Ryan an open shot just outside the 3 point line.  The ball hit the back of the rim and the rebound went to Kyle who put up a second shot just after the buzzer sounded.

Another exciting game that came down to the wire.  It was fun and a great game to watch.  Our Achilles heel is our free throw shooting which played a major part in the outcome of this game.  We made only 5 of 20 shots from the charity stripe.   Making free throws in practice is not the same as making them in the game.  The pressure is much greater and the concentration level is different.  Each player must develop his own confidence.  Game experience will help but is not the whole answer.  Each player must work on this individually and turn his own cornor.

For the record:  Matthew Pedemont lead the Falcons in scoring with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 6 steals, and 3 assists.  Matthew played another outstanding game.  Kyle Boutross scored 9 points with 9 rebounds and 4 steals.  Ryan Brown scored 8 points, pulled down 13 rebounds with 1 assist.  Caleb Robinson added 4 points with 8 rebounds while Joel VanDusen scored 3 points with 6 rebounds.  Joel also learned how to play while in foul trouble.  Conor Murdock made a huge contribution even though he did not score.  With several of the starters in foul trouble Conor provided quality minutes and the level of play never dropped.  Conor also came up with two steals.

FALCONS LOSE TO QUEENS GRANT

Queens Grant 45 – Arborbrook 31

The Falcons (4-3) lost to Queens Grant for the second time this year.  Queens Grant is a solid more experienced team which held us to only 15 points in our first meeting.  This Falcon team has shown a tendacy to start slow and come on strong in the second half.  We followed the same pattern this game and dug a hole which was a little too deep to climb out of.  We did not play badly but we were a step slow in the first half and it allowed Queens Grant to score several easy baskets.  We still need to learn to get back on defense immediately once our offensive play has ended and possession has changed.  The Falcons fell behind 8-0 in the first quarter before Ryan Brown finally put us on the board.  We came out tenative with only Ryan and Kyle Boutross taking shots.  We went into the second quarter trailing 11-4.  Queens Grant scored the first 4 points before Richard McFall banked in a shot to make it a 15-6 game.  Kyle would take a couple of shots but that was it as the entire team had shut down offensively and relied on Ryan to carry us through.  Ryan did a tremendous job and kept us in the game by scoring 10 of our 12 poionts on a couple of nice fade away jumpers.  When Ryan is on a roll, he can be tough to stop.  The Falcons trailed at half time 24-12.  We only scored 15 points against this team in the first game so as tenative as we were, we had shown considerable improvemant.  Coach stressed for the entire team to get involved in the offense, Ryan could not win this game by himself.

The third quarter started and we were suddenly clicking on all cylinders.  Matthew Pedemonte scored.  Joel VanDusen scored.   Kyle Boutross scored.   Caleb Robinson scored.  We were playing our best defense of the game and now trailed 24-20.  We traded baskets until the last 90 seconds of the quarter when we lost focus and quickly gave up 8 points straight points.  The fourth quarter started with the Falcons on the short end of a 38-24 score.   We could not get the lead below ten the rest of the game and both teams reserves played the last couple of minutes.  The final score was 45-31.  I thought going into the game that Queens Grant was basically a better team.  They are a good solid team that does not make mistakes and takes advantage of their opponents errors.  They handle the ball well and play solid defense.  But I also think we can beat them.  We played them even in the second half and outplayed them for almost the entire third quarter.  The Falcon players still do not have confidence in their shot and consistantly look for someone else to score.  They celebrate after making a basket instead of immediately playing defense.  We forget how inexperienced  this team really is because of  the flashes of talent we see in every game.  At this time, we do not have a true floor leader to weather the storm.  This will all change in time.  We will beat a team like Queens Grant and probably sooner than later.

For the Recod:  Ryan Brown scored 15 points while pulling down 10 rebounds with 2 steals and one assist.  Matthew Pedemonte waited until the second half to take his first shot then scored 6 points.  Matthew also had 4 rebounds and one steal.  Caleb Robinson made 2 free throws and scored 4 points.  Caleb also grabbed 10 rebounds, had 1 steal and 3 very good assists.  Caleb also blocked and altered a number of shots.  Joel VanDusen scored 2 points and pulled down 8 rebounds.  Kyle Boutross scored 2 points and came up with 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 4 assists.  Richard McFall scored the final 2 points with one rebound.  This is the first time this season that all five starters scored.  We were also 2 for 10 from the free throw line.

FALCONS MIDDLE SCHOOL STOPS CENTRAL

Arborbrook  40 – Central 23

The Falcons (4-2) finally put together 4 quarters of basketball and controlled the entire game against an outmatched Central team.  This is the second time we have played Central and we knew we were taller, faster, and more talented.  In previous games we have played to the level of the competition but not this time.  The Falcons came out focused with a high degree of intensity.  The starting five played together for only the first three minutes of the game before Coach started substituting.  The Falcons were up 4-0 on baskets by Matthew Pedemonte and Ryan Brown when Richard McFall entered the game for Caleb Robinson and quickly scored on a rebound.  Matthew would add another basket and give the Falcons an 8-0 lead going into the second quarter.  This quarter proved to be the best single quarter point out put the Falcons have had this season.  They scored 17 points while giving up only 6.  Ethan Robinson made his first basket of the year on a shot from the cornor of the lane just inside the free throw line.  Matthew scored 7 points including 3 straight free throws.  Ryan Brown knocked down a 3 pointer just before the buzzer and the Falcons had a 25-6 half time lead.

Coach stressed in the half time talk to continue to play at our level especially the first three minutes of the second half.  “Do not let them think they can get back into this game.”  That was the goal and the Falcons responded.  With the starters on the bench almost the entire second half the Falcons increased their lead to 33-11 at the end of the third quarter.  Joel VanDusen started driving to the basket and showed that he can score.  This game was a confidence builder for Joel as he proved he can not only score but control the ball.  Jonathan Spitler, Conor Murdock, and Ethan Robinson played almost the entire fourth quarter for the first time this season.  Central was using a full court press which resulted in some early turnovers but they settled down and showed they could move the ball up the floor and either shoot or hit the open man.  Conor scored his first point of the season when he knocked down 1 of 2 free throws.   Jonathan didn’t score but did get to the line which was a victory in itself.  

The final score was never the issue in this game.  Both teams played hard and represented God, their school, and their parents well.  The Central Athletic Director / Coach called us a classy operation.  That means a lot to us.  The attitudes displayed on the floor are seen by one and all no matter what the score.  How our players act both on and off the court is the game we are really playing.

For the Record:  Matthew Pedemonte played his best game ever as a Falcon.  Matthew is a smooth player with a soft shot and quick hands.  Matthew scored 15 points and went 5 for 7 from the free throw line.  Matthew also had 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists in limited playing time.  Ryand Brown scored 7 points with 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists.  Kyle Boutross also scored 7 points with 3 rebounds and 5 steals.  Joel VanDusen scored a season high 6 points while grabbing 3 rebounds with 1 steal and 1 assist.  Caleb Robinson received very little playing time but still came up with 4 rebounds and 2 steals.  Richard McFall came up with 2 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.  Ethan Robinson also scored 2 points with 1 rebound and 3 steals.  Conor Murdock scored 1 point with 1 rebound and 1 steal.  Johnathan Spitler did not score but did pull down 3 rebounds with one very good assist.

This Week’s Game Schedule

MONDAY
4:30pm — Middle School Boys vs. Central Academy
@Southbrook Church

TUESDAY
4:30pm — Middle School Girls vs. Queens Grant
5:30pm — Middle School Boys vs. Queens Grant
@Carolina Courts in Indian Trail (7210 Stinson Hartis Road)

FRIDAY
4:30pm — High School Girls vs. Wescare Christian
6:00pm — Middle School Boys vs. Wescare Christian
@Wescare Christian in Troy (across the street from Montgomery Country Club)

FALCONS HIGH SCHOOL WINS FIRST GAME

Arborbrook 48 – Fletcher 41

The Falcon high school team (1-4) won their first game of the season on a thrilling come from behind effort.  We went into the game with the intention of playing only 7 players and 3 of those players were nursing injuries.  Trey Barnes had missed the last 2 games with a sprained ankle while Mitch Moore and Nathan Spittler both had sore backs.  Fletcher had only 8 high school players but three of them were much taller and stronger but also appeared to be slower in warm ups.  Coach decided on a full court man to man defense because it wears down the other team and gives us our best chance to win. 

Fletcher started the game by drilling a 3 point shot from the cornor but Trey Barnes answered with a three pointer on our  first possession.  The intensity level was high for both teams and you could tell immediately that our defense was going to cause problems for the Fletcher offense.  Our offense had trouble holding onto the ball and shuffling their feet as we fell behind by 5 points.  A basket by Josh Black cut the deficit to only 3 and we went to the second quarter trailing 9-6.  The Falcon defense was getting into the heads of the Fletcher team as they turned the ball over almost every time down the floor.  However, we could not take advantage of the turnovers because as quickly as we got the ball we gave it back.  We held Fletcher to only 6 points in the quarter and actually took a 17-15 lead into the locker room when Trey hit a 3 point shot just before the buzzer.

The players were pumped at half time because of Trey’s basket and eager to start the second half.  The coaches noticed Fletcher was starting to tire.  The second half started with 3 quick team fouls on the Falcons which was a sign of things to come.  Fletcher had picked up their intensity level and suddenly beat us down the floor for the first couple of minutes of the second half.  They took control of the game building a 27-20 lead while our team fouls continued to mount.  We suddenly had players in foul trouble but never lost our focus and never started to panic.  The players on the floor knew they could come back and could feel the effect our defense was having on Fletcher.  Nathan Spitler and Josh Black made a couple of key baskets and the Falcons were back in the game trailing only 29-27 moving into the fourth quarter.  The fourth quarter proved to be the Falcons best quarter of the year.  We quickly tied the game but fell behind by a point.  We took a one point lead and fell behind again.  There would be 5 lead changes in the next several minutes.  Fletcher could not get the ball down the floor but was in the double bonus situation.  Fletcher was okay but not good  from the free throw line and had shot several air balls during the 3rd quarter.  Free throws kept them in the game as we made our run.   At one time coach turned to me and said they had to miss a free throw sometime.  They didn’t.  They went 8 for 8  in the 4th quarter.  Josh Black and Trey Barnes knocked down a couple of baskets each.  Mitch Moore made a great move through the Fletcher defense for an easy score.  Nathan Spitler put back a rebound before fouling out.  Josh and Daniel Zangmeister made 7 straight free throws with the game on the line.  Caleb Farmer drew a charging foul on the sideline.  Everything came together and it was fun to watch.  Coach called time out with 2:30 left in the game and told the players it was their game to win.  Play defense and we couldn’t lose.  I told the coach we had three players on the floor with 4 fouls and the other two with 3 fouls.  One player had already fouled out.  I instructed the middle school players on the bench to be ready.  The fans were loud as the gym rocked.   Fletcher was a tired team at the end of the game and the defense was awesome  as we pulled away.  The fourth quarter is how this team can play when they are in sync.  They are young and inexperienced and must rely on their defense to keep them in the game.  This is the second time they have worn down an opposing team in the last 3 games.  They will only get better as they grow and learn the game.

For the Record:  Nathan Spitler scored 4 points, pulled down 8 rebounds and had 2 steals.  Nathan did not have the leading stats on the team but there is no doubt that Nathan sparked this team to its first victory.  Nathan came to play and his hustle and attitude was caught by all the players.  Nathan skyed for rebounds like he does in practice.  Nathan was a force on the floor.  Josh Black always plays well and scored a game high 17 points.  Josh also had 11 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists.  Josh was 7 of 11 from the free throw line but made 4 in a row at the end of the game.  It was good to have Trey Barnes back in the line up.  Trey scored 16 points while hitting 4 three pointers.  Trey also pulled down 4 rebounds, with 1 steal and 1 assist.  Caleb Farmer always controls the offense but played his best defenseive game ever.  Caleb scored 6 points with 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 assists.  Daniel Zangmeister scored 3 points making 3 straight free throws at the end of the game.  Daniel also had 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists.  Mitch Moore doesn’t shoot enough but made that nifty move through the Fletcher defense for a timely basket.  As soon as we can convince Mitch to think like Josh and drive to the basket, we will have taken a major step into becoming a good offensive team.  Mitch also pulled down 4 rebounds with 3 steals and 1 assist.  Forest Landa did not score but always plays great defense.  Forest had 2 rebounds and 3 steals.