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Falcons GB win streak stopped at five

Falcons GB win streak stopped at five Falcons GB win streak stopped at five

The Abbotsford Falcons girls basketball team continues to fire on all cylinders. Abby picked up a pair of non-conference victories over the holiday break, and with them, pushes their winning streak to five straight.

The Falcons took care of business in Pittsville and Owen-Withee, and with their wins over the Panthers and Blackhawks, improves to 8-2 on the season. It’s a breathtaking turnaround from last year’s team, which finished with four wins in 2020-21.

“This year’s team is filled with young, confident players who are coachable and ready to take the court,” Falcons head coach Ally Meserole says.

The key to Abby’s sustained success has been a more balanced offense, and a lock down defense.

“We have been shutting down some of the opponent’s toughest players with Sommer Brodhagen’s post-defense and Adriana Fuentes’s ball pressure,” Meserole said after the Falcons game with Pittsville on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

It was a close affair throughout the first half, and the Falcons only had a one possession lead going into the break, clinging onto a 20-18 point lead.

The Panthers put up a good fight in the second half, but Abby’s defensive pressure, coupled with better offense, allowed the Falcons to out-score Pittsville 27-21.

Sommer Brodhagen and Sydney Falteisek acted as a one-two punch for the Falcons, scoring 14 and 13 points. Brodhagen was money from the charity stripe, converting eight of 13 free throw attempts. Alea Graff stepped it up on offense, supply eight points on offense. Brissa Diaz, Adriana Fuentes and Briseida Escalara all scored four points apiece.

“Sydney Falteisek, Briseida Escalera, Alea Graff and Bridgett Pogodzinski are offensive threats in every game, making it difficult for other teams to stop our offense,” Meserole said, referring to the many contributors on offense last week.

Owen-Withee, 44-34

Abbotsford’s offense and defense was put to the test on Monday, Jan. 3. The Falcons were once again on the road for another non-conference showdown, this time with the Owen-Withee Blackhawks of the Eastern Cloverbelt.

Playing on the road is always a tricky proposition, with both the crowd and players rooting against you, but the Falcons handled the atmosphere, and got the job done on the court on Jan. 3, ousting the Blackhawks 44-34.

The Falcons shot better than 40 percent from the floor, incuding 48 percent on their two point baskets. Abby’s defense was nearly impenetrable, and while the Falcons allowed two players from Owen- Withee to finish in double digits, the Blackhawks managed to covert just 22 percent of their shots.

After one half it was all Abby, with the Falcons going into the locker room up 28-17. Owen-Withee staged a bit of a comeback in the second half, and even out-scored the Falcons 17-16, but could not make a dent in Abby’s first half lead.

Sophomore Sydney Falteisek led Abby with 13 points and nine boards. Alea Graff and Briseida Escalara had eight points apiece. Senior guard Bridgett Pogodzinski scored seven points.

Sommer Brodhagen scored six points but did her best work on the glass, pulling down a team high 11 rebounds. Adriana Fuentes and Calley Ruesch chipped in with one point apiece.

58-38

The Falcons stepped up in class on Tuesday night when they hosted the top team in the Marwood - North, the Phillips Loggers. The Loggers come into 2022 with a 4-0 record in league play, and 5-1 overall. They also have the Eggebrecht sisters, Jada and Kacy.

Jada Eggebrecth, a senior this season, is also a NCAA Division II St. Cloud State University commit. She leads the Marawood - North with 22 points a game, and her offensive firepower proved too much for the Falcons to overcome.

Eggebrecht’s 18 points guided the Loggers to a 36-15 advantage over the Falcons, but Abby brushed off the slow start with a stronger second half.

Abbotsford’s Sydney Falteisek and her team high 16 points helped the Falcons out-score the Loggers 23-22 in the second half. It wasn’t enough to over come the 21 point first half deficit, but the fight bodes well for the second half of the season.

Sommer Brodhagen added seven points, Alea Graff and Bridgett Pogodzinski added five apiece. Calley Ruesch scored three points and Briseida Escalara added two points.

The Falcons drop to 8-3 on the year, but will have an opportunity to start a new streak on Friday, Jan. 7, when they travel to Stratford to play the Tigers. Tip-off is at 5:45 p.m.

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