Falcons top Chequamegon for conference W
Victories in the Marawood Conference continue to remain elusive for the Abbotsford girls basketball team, but the Falcons snapped a 10 game losing streak with a road victory over Chequamegon on Tuesday that also gave Abby its first conference win of the year.
72-20
Abby had opened up the 2019-20 season at Athens, and had given the ‘Jays all that they could handle before falling 44-37.
But that Athens team wasn’t playing at full strength, with senior Abby Van Rixel out, and with the six foot forward now in the line-up, her presence on the floor was immediately felt.
The ‘Jays used Abby as well as ‘little’ sister Elizabeth Van Rixel and Allison Wolf to clog the paint and keep the Falcons from scoring inside.
In that first meeting the Falcons relied on deep shooting from Maggie Seefluth, who buried four triples to lead all players with 20 points. In the second meeting, the ‘Jays used their speed to chase Seefluth off the perimeter, and their length to affect shots from outside.
Seefluth was held to just one triple all night, and while Bridgette Pogodzinski, Mya Ruesch and Jayden Falteisek all scored, no Falcon added more than one basket in the first frame.
Athens on the other hand had no problems scoring, slashing inside for lay-ups, or using their size for offensive rebound and quick, put-back buckets.
Crystal Dearth, along with the Van Rixel sisters, all scored eight points apiece to lead Athens to a 35-9 advantage after one half.
The Falcons shut down Dearth and the Van Rixels, holding them to a combined five points in the second half, but Allison Wolf did the heavy lifting for Athens, scoring 16 of her game high 20 points in the second half.
The Falcons did a better job of drawing contact, and after shooting just two free throws, when to the charity stripe ten times. Ruesch sunk a pair, and Marisol Garcia, Falteisek and Alea Graff all added points from the free throw line.
Ruesch led the Falcons with eight points, but was the only player to score multiple field goals as Abby was outscored 37-11 in the final stanza.
Seefluth had five points, followed by Falteisek with three, Pogodzinski with two and Garcia and Graff with one apiece.
Chequamegon, 40-34
They say winning cures all ills, well the Abbotsford Falcons got a taste of the remedy with a hard fought and wellearned victory over Chequamegon in Park Falls on Tuesday.
The Falcons rode a big game from Mya Ruesch, who scored a season high 21 points, with 15 alone coming in the first hal,f as Ruesch led Abby to a 25-14 advantage heading into the locker room.
The Screaming Eagles came back in the second half, but free throws from Catie Clement, Ruesch and Jayden Falteisek kept the Falcons in front for their second victory of the season.
Clement and Bridgette Pogodzinski each scored seven points, followed by four from Falteisek and one from Alea Grafff.
