Abby girls fall after second-half surge by Wildcats
By Nathaniel Underwood
The Abbotsford Falcons girls basketball team traveled to Edgar last Friday evening for a Marawood conference contest against the Wildcats. Through the first three quarters of the game, the two teams played relatively evenly, but a second half sequence in which the hosting Edgar squad scored 20 straight points allowed them to pull away and eventually deal the Falcons a 58-38 defeat.
While the two teams shot similarly in a lot of ways, with Abbotsford making 11 of their 30 two points shots compared to a 13-for-38 spread for Edgar and the Wildcats making just one more free throw than the visiting Falcons, it was a matter of volume and threepoint shooting that allowed Edgar to pull away.
Edgar attempted over double the three point attempts and made nearly half of their shots from beyond the arc, going 7-for-15. Meanwhile, the Falcons made just two of their seven three-point shots. The shot volume discrepancy came largely from the turnover ratio, where Abbotsford’s 41 giveaways outpaced Edgar’s 29.
The final score did not indicate how tightly contested the first 22 minutes of the game truly were. While Edgar was able to jump out to an 11-5 advantage, the Falcons were able to respond. Nevaeh Treankler helped Abbotsford mount an 8-0 run, the senior collecting five points over that stretch and putting Abbotsford ahead by converting a steal under Edgar’s basket in a go-ahead layup.
The Falcon lead was short lived, however, as Edgar quickly went on a 7-0 run themselves. Abbotsford kept themselves in striking distance, however, entering halftime down 23-18.
Free throws from Treankler and Celia Schindler kicked off the scoring in the second period and a long jumper courtesy of Jackie Soto closed the gap further. Soto then found Azul Diaz on a backdoor cut on the Falcons’ next possession and Diaz finished at the rim, giving the Falcons points on four straight trips down the floor and a 24-23 lead.
Abbotsford could not extend their hot start any further, however, as Edgar held them scoreless over their next 14 possessions. Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ shot 7-for-10 from the field over that same stretch, scoring 20 points and opening up a commanding 43-24 advantage. A pair of free throws from Treankler ended the scoring drought for the Falcons, but the damage had already been done. While they avoided falling further behind, Abbotsford also could not make a dent in the sizable Wildcat lead over the final quarter of the contest.
“Our girls have continued to work in practice at trying to get better at the basic fundamentals as we attempt to close the gaps on some of our lopsided losses,” head coach Larry Lecheler stated afterwards. “When we were able to do that, as against Athens, it was because we came out on top statistically, especially in regards to winning the turnover battle.
“As a team, we have talked about the need to be more physical on the court, with the coaching staff reminding our young ladies that there is a big difference between the varsity and JV levels,” he added. “We have played teams that were fast and aggressive resulting in too many turnovers from our end, and we need to match that intensity, which we are finally starting to do.”
Schindler collected 11 points and eight rebounds to lead the Falcons in both categories. She also recorded two blocks in the loss.
Treankler had eight points and led the team in assists, picking up three, and steals, ending the game with six. She also had five rebounds. Soto had six points, Diaz put up five, and Riley Podevels, Marilyn Hammock,Asia Atkinson and Azalea Atkinson all had two points each.
The Falcons will continue their road stint with a trip to Rib Lake on Thursday, Jan. 30. In the first contest between the two Marawood- North rivals, Rib Lake dominated the evening, dealing the hosting Abbotsford squad a 74-18 defeat. The rematch has a 7:15 p.m. start time.
