Falcon victories lead to 7-2 start to 2022-23

The Abbotsford Falcons girls basketball team bounced back from their loss to Newman Catholic with two home wins this week, taking down Pittsville on Monday before picking up their third conference win over Rib Lake.

Rib Lake, 55-34

Abbotsford used a dominant second half and a 40-12 scoring advantage in the paint to down Rib Lake, 55-34.

In the first half of a double header featuring the girls and boys varsity squads from both schools, the Falcon girls took care of business, holding Rib Lake to just 18 percent shooting from the field while dominating the game in the blocks.

The Falcons were the first to strike, going up 2-0 on a layup from Sommer Brodhagen, and they would never trail in the game. A 2-2 tie shortly after would be all the closer Rib Lake would get to having a lead in the Marawood-North contest as they struggled mightily on the offensive end throughout the evening.

Abbotsford joined them in those struggles early, both teams scores remaining in the single digits through the first eight minutes of the game. This allowed the visitors to stick around, but their fortunes would quickly change.

A steal from Brissa Diaz that she turned into two points on the other end started a scoring spurt for the Falcons. In just two minutes of action, Abbotsford doubled their point total, scoring 10 points and going up 20-10 with just under seven minutes to play.

The two teams would play relatively even through the rest of the period, with Rib Lake eating into the 10 point lead but never getting it under five points. The Falcons took a 27-19 lead into halftime.

While the end of the first half had found the two teams playing on relatively even footing, the beginning of the second period was a different story.

Abbotsford went on a 15-4 run over the first six minutes, establishing a 42-23 lead that left a poorly-shooting Rib Lake team in a nearly insurmountable 19-point deficit.

Indeed, things would only get worse for Rib Lake as the half continued, seeming to have no answers to the combination of Sydney Falteisek and Brodhagen down low. The Falcons expanded their lead to 51-27 before slowing down the pace of the game to eat time off the clock. Abbotsford came out with their third conference victory of the season, ultimately winning 55-34.

Falteisek led all scorers with 25 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. Brodhagen ended the game with 16 points, shooting 6-8 from the free-throw line and capturing nine rebounds. Diaz had eight points and seven rebounds and Calley Ruesch added six points and four assists.

Pittsville, 52-36

This past Monday, the Falcons invited the Pittsville Panthers into town for a non-conference matchup. Abbotsford got the best of the Panthers, defeating the CWC-South team 52-36.

Abbotsford took the first lead of the game and never relinquished it, though the game was closer at times than such a statement might make it seem. Pittsville came back a number of times over the course of the game, but could never quite pass the Falcons on the scoreboard. Abbotsford’s ability to force turnovers and capitalize on them on the offensive end of the floor kept the lead just out of the visitors’ reach.

The Falcons took an early 7-0 lead and extended it to 18-9 after weathering a small comeback from Pittsville. After Calley Ruesch turned a steal into a layup for the Falcons to give them the nine-point advantage, Abbotsford’s offense started to struggle, scoring only three points over the next seven minutes of game time. While Pittsville was only marginally more effective over this stretch, it did keep them within striking distance, and the Falcons went to the locker rooms with their lead whittled down to five.

Another slow start for both teams coming out of the half seemed to work in Pittsville’s favor, as the Panthers cut the lead to three, taking a play out of Abbotsford’s book and getting a transition bucket to make the score 29-26.

Neither team could move the needle in their favor over the next few possessions, leaving the door wide open for their opponents to shift the game in their favor. With nothing happening on their half-court offense, Abbotsford seized the opportunity to push the ball when it presented itself. Briseida Escalera found Sommer Brodhagen down the court and laid a pass over the outstretched hands of a defender. Brodhagen corralled the pass and allowed her defender to sail past before hitting the layup to give the Falcons their first points of the half after nearly five minutes without scoring.

While the play wouldn’t quite start the offense for the Falcons, it kept Pittsville at bay long enough for Abbotsford to figure things out on the offensive side of the ball. A three from Ruesch a few plays later kicked off a run of five straight possessions where Abbotsford came away with points. Sydney Falteisek connected on three of those field goals, leading the home team through the series that finally gave them some breathing room.

With a 42-32 lead and seven minutes to play, Abbotsford did not look back, outscoring the Panthers 10-4 over the final stretch to take the victory.

At the end of the day, turnovers seemed to be the biggest difference between the two teams. Abbotsford scored 23 points off of 32 turnovers from the Panthers, while Pittsville only managed eight points from 16 Falcon turnovers.

Falteisek led the team in scoring and rebounds, finishing the evening with 22 points and 12 rebounds. She also co-led the team with five assists and four steals. Brodhagen contributed 15 points and Escalera had seven points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Ruesch ended the game with five points and four steals, Brissa Diaz had two points and three steals, and Adriana Fuentes-Rivera rounded out the scoring with one point and four rebounds.

The Falcons next game will be against Spencer on Tuesday, Dec. 27. The game time is set for 6:00 p.m.

DRIBBLE DRIVE -Brissa Diaz slips a defender while taking the ball to the rim against Rib Lake.STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD