Falcons reach regional semifinal

Abby boys get first playoff win in 4 years

The Abbotsford Falcons would have surely liked to have seen their season continue for at least one more game, to enjoy at least one more moment on the court with teammates that are as close to them as their own family.

But it was not to be as the Falcons were clipped in the WIAA D-4 regional semifi nal in Edgar on Friday. Just getting to that stage was a victory in itself after the Falcons won their first postseason game in four years a few days earlier, a 65-55 decision over the Spencer Rockets.

“It feels great to get the win,” senior forward Mason Carpenter said after the Falcons regional quarterfinal victory over Spencer. “Ever since Brent [Faber] and [Dean] Bellanti have been in the program, this is our first one.”

The Falcons were playing Spencer for the second time this season. In their first meeting Abbotsford thoroughly trounced the Rockets back in January, dropping 86 points on Spencer. This time around Abby was without senior guard Hunter Soyk. Soyk had injured his ankle just before the Falcons’ final regular season game with Pacelli.

Hunter was averaging double figures through his last ten games, and shooting the ball extremely well from Down Town, having tied the school record for made threes in a game earlier this month.

With Soyk gone, Abby head coach Brent Faber put a new line-up on the court against the Rockets. Down one of their best players, the Falcons and Rockets delivered a drama filled first half as Abbotsford looked out of sorts without Soyk there to bring the ball up the court.

Spencer took the early lead, going up 4-2 with 15:00 to play in the first before the Falcons took their first lead at 10-8 with 12:29 to go before the break.

Turnovers and missed baskets allowed the Rockets to put on a run that was keyed by Kaleb Brandt, who scored 14 of his team high 21 points in the first period.

With the Falcons struggling to find cohesion, the Rockets went up 24-18 with 7:30 left in the first half.

That’s when senior wing Cade Faber decided he had seen enough. The athletic Faber whirled and twirled his way through traffic to deliver time and time again, and his shot-making triggered a 19-2 run over the final seven minutes.

“I think the key was really just to slow it down and let them make the errors themselves instead of us rushing it and turning the ball over,” Carpenter said about Abby’s comeback in the first half.

Carpenter was especially effective for Abby on Tuesday night. ‘Carp’ crashed the boards time and time again, pulling down a season high 15 rebounds.

His biggest contribution came on the other side of the ball, where he pumped in eight points in the first half. Brandon Diedrich and Brandon Hawkey also hit key buckets down the stretch, and the Falcons took a 35-27 lead at the break.

With the momentum firmly on the side of the Falcons, Abby continued to put points on the board, with Faber once again doing the damage.

For the second game in a row, Faber eclipsed the 30-point mark, dropping 31 points, the second highest output of his career, on Spencer. Faber’s 16 points led all players in the final frame.

Carpenter continued to supply much needed firepower, and the two seniors each finished with double-doubles.

The Falcons would need those big time performances as the Rockets had no intentions of going quietly, not with their season on the line.

Spencer cut Abby’s lead down to single digits, trailing by just eight at 42-30 with 12:00 to play, but the Falcons righted the shop, and built their lead back up to 15, leading 61-46 with 2:20 remaining.

Brandon Diedrich splashed his third triple in the second half, but twin brother Adam Diedrich was big in the second half. Adam was scoreless in the first half, but he found the bottom of the net for a trio of buckets.

The Falcons subbed in several of their bench players in the final minutes of the game, and the Rockets put on a mini-run, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome, and the Falcons picked up their fifth win of the season.

Faber and Carpenter led the way, with Faber once again having his hand all over the stat sheet. In their final home games, Faber and Carpenter gave two of the best performances of their careers.

Faber finished with 31 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. Carpenter added 13 points and had a career high 15 rebounds. Brandon Diedrich finished with nine points and five assists, Adam Diedrich had six points and six rebounds, Brandon Hawkey tallied four points and Bryce Draper picked up two points.

Edgar, 76-44

The Falcons knew they would have to play a nearly flawless game against the Edgar Wildcats on Friday if they were to keep their season going.

Edgar was riding a 14 game win streak, and had not lost a game since 2020. This year’s Marawood - South champs looked every bit the part of a state contender, but for the first ten minutes the Falcons gave as good as they got.

Abbotsford even took an 8-6 lead with 12:04 to play, and even with the loss of Hunter Soyk, the Falcons were trading shots with the Wildcats.

“We had a game plan to cover their best players with our best defenders, and we did that for the first part of the first half,” Cade Faber said. “We really played a good game until we started turning the ball over, and then not getting back on defense fast enough, and they beat us [because of] that.”

Those turnovers proved costly, and gave Edgar ammunition to extend that win streak to 15. With the game tied 10-10 with 10:20 to play before halftime, the Wildcats made their move.

Edgar’s seniors that paved the way for their 20th victory of the season. Drew Guden scored 14 of his team high 21 points in the first half.

Buckets from seniors Austin Dahlke and Kyle Brewster followed, and the Wildcats rattled off a 22-9 run that made it 35-21 with 2:17 to play. That lead grew to 41-21 by the break, and Edgar was in cruise control for the rest of the game.

Faber was able to put his stamp on the game, punctuating the final game of his prep career with his signature shot - a soaring, booming, thunderous dunk that left both fan sections applauding Faber’s crazy athleticism.

“I wish I would have got a little higher, but it was nice to have it. Not everyone can dunk, and it’s cool to do it and get the crowd going when I dunk.”

Guden and Dahlke continued to score, along with several of Edgar’s bench players, and the Falcons were soon down 57-27 with 12:41 to play.

Faber did what he could, notching a double-double in his final game as a Falcon, finishing with 24 points and 10 boards, but he would be the only player from Abbotsford in double figures.

One unlikely source of offense came from senior, and fan favorite, Ryan Gunderson. In the final minutes of the second half, ‘Gundy’ as he is affectionately called, got few good looks and made the most of it, burying a pair of baskets in his final game of his prep career.

“It was definitely good to see Gundy hit those shots at the end,” senior guard Bryce Draper said. “We all kinda made fun of him for not making a shot this year, now he’s got two. He’s probably going to rub that in my face when we get in the locker room. But it was great to see him get those in his final game.”

Gundy finished with four points as Mason Carpenter and Brandon Diedrich scored six apiece. Brandon Hawkey and Adam Diedrich each had two points.

As the minutes became seconds, the seniors embraced each other as their basketball careers came to a close.

Even having a season was something that was in doubt, and Draper summed up what it meant to play this year.

“It felt pretty good,” Draper said, and although he identifies himself as a football first, his senior basketball season was always going to have a special place in his athletic career. “No matter what, this was going to be my last high school sport. So it was really important to me to have this season.”

For Cade, putting into words what his career meant to him was difficult. Faber has led the way for Abby these past two seasons, and his gravity defying dunks and electrifying play saw him score over a thousand points in his career.

A path to the NCAA beckons, but on Friday, Faber said he’s thinking of the past four years with the Abbotsford Falcons and what it meant to him.

“It’s been great,” Faber said. “It’s been a fun ride. You take every game that you have and never take it for granted.

“I’ll miss the fans the most. They come out and support us every night. It’s awesome how much support we have.”

SHOWING HIS RANGE -Adam Diedrich, center, gets airborne over a wall of Rocket defenders as Brandon Hawkey stands by for a rebound. Diedrich scored six points and Hawkey tallied four in the 65-55 victory.

FABER WITH THE FINGER ROLL -Cade Faber soars through the air for an easy break away lay-up on Feb. 16. Faber finished with back to back doubledoubles in his final games as a Falcon, scoring 31 and 24 points.STAFF PHOTO/ROSS PATTERMANN

BIG IMPACT - Mason Carpenter barrels up the court on Tuesday. Carpenter went off for 13 points and 15 rebounds against the Rockets.