Abby boys down Cards, but fall to Rockets, Royals
By Nathaniel Underwood
The Abbotsford boys basketball team went 1-2 over the last week, defeating Thorp but falling in a pair of tightly contested games against Spencer and Assumption. The team is now 8-13 this season and holds a 2-11 record in the Marawood conference.
Assumption, 66-63
While Abbotsford led for much of the first period, a late push from the hosting Assumption Royals allowed them to take a lead they never relinquished in the second half as they defeated the Falcons 66-63 last Friday evening.
A pair of threes from Koren Decker and Irvin Aguilera gave the Falcons a 6-0 lead to open the contest, but the visiting Abbotsford squad could never quite distance themselves from their Marawood-South opponents. The Royals answered with five straight points of their own and the two teams battled back and forth for much of the first period. Abbotsford held the advantage for much of that time, trailing briefly at 19-18 before a layup and free throw from AJ Brodhagen put them back on top. Three straight points from Grayson Totzke helped the Falcons extend their lead, going up 24-19, but Abbotsford met some resistance over the final few minutes of the period.
After a free throw from Totzke, the three of the Falcons final five possessions ended in a turnover and they missed both field goal attempts they had. Meanwhile, Assumption shot 3-for-4 from the field and put up points on four of their final six times down the court, allowing them to take a 28-25 lead into the break.
Two quick baskets for the Royals to open the second period increased their advantage, but Aguilera answered with a three on Abbotsford’s second possession of the half. A steal from Christian Fuentes on Assumption’s inbound pass turned into a three for Decker, bringing the visitors back within a point.
The Falcons could never completely close that gap, however. The Royals made it a two possession game once again, and while baskets from Fuentes and Totzke cut the Assumption lead down to one two more times, Abbotsford never led in the final 18 minutes of the contest.
Totzke collected 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in the loss. Decker added 16 points, four rebounds and three assists and Fuentes finished with 12 points and two steals. Aguilera led the team with six assists and had eight points, Brodhagen picked up seven points and five rebounds and Payton Schreiber had one point.
Thorp, 55-45
The Falcons held Thorp to just 13 first half points and led by as many as 25 points in a 55-45 road victory over the Cardinals last Thursday evening. Grayson Totzke had a double-double, AJ Brodhagen added 10 points and Abbotsford dominated the middle portion of the contest to pick up their eighth win of the season.
Totzke broke a 6-6 tie with a corner three five minutes into the contest and the Falcons did not look back. They held their opponents to seven points over the last 13 minutes of the first period, going on an impressive 25-7 run to take control over the game.
The Cardinals kept themselves within one possession until the midway point in the half, where another three from Totzke followed by a steal-turned fast-break basket from Brodhagen quickly had Abbotsford doubling up their opponents. Brodhagen added another transition basket a few possessions later and Koren Decker hit a three-pointer to give the visitors 10 unanswered points.
A pair of threes from Totzke and Jack Sheahan closed out the scoring in the first half and gave the Falcons a 16-point advantage heading into halftime.
They continued to build their lead in the second period, getting baskets from Decker, Irvin Aguilera and Christian Fuentes as they scored on four of their first five possessions. A three from Aguilera followed by a short jumper and subsequent free throw from Totzke capped off the 15-4 streak for Abbotsford and gave them a 44-19 lead with just over 13 minutes left to play.
While the Falcons’ would slow down the stretch, scoring just 11 points after Totzke’s free throw while giving up 25 points to Thorp over that time, the significant gap they had created meant that their lead was never truly in danger.
Totzke finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Falcons in both categories. He also co-led the squad in assists with four and had the most steals after finishing with three.
Brodhagen had seven rebounds, two assists and Abbotsford’s only block on top of his 10-point performance. Decker and Sheahan both finished with eight points each, the former picking up four assists and two steals while the latter had four rebounds. Aguilera added seven points and Fuentes, Payton Schreiber and Rodrigo Perez all had two points apiece.
Spencer, 70-65
Multiple overtime periods were necessary to decide a winner between the Falcons and the Spencer Rockets last Monday evening, but the visiting Rockets ultimately came out on top, dealing Abbotsford a 70-65 defeat.
A strong ending to the first half and beginning of the second put the Falcons ahead for almost the entirety of the second period. Trailing 18-13 with under four minutes to play, Abbotsford went on to score the final 10 points of the half. A drive from Grayson Totzke got the home team’s offense going and the Falcons went on to score on four straight possessions, getting another basket from Totzke and a pair of free throws from both Koren Decker and AJ Brodhagen. Irvin Aguilera contributed two more free throws before the half expired, putting Abbotsford up 23-18 heading into the locker room.
Spencer got on the board first in the second half to cut Abbotsford’s lead down to three. The Falcons answered with a three from Miguel Bautista plus a pair of two-point field goals from Brodhagen and Totzke on straight possessions that put Abbotsford up by 10 points.
The Rockets battled back, knotting the game at 32-32, but a layup and subsequent free throw from Decker halted Spencer’s run. Abbotsford maintained their advantage for
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the rest of the half and a three from Totzke put them up 51 -47 with less than five minutes to play. However, die Falcons were held scoreless down the stretch, allowing the visitors to score the final four points of regulation and force overtime.
In the first overtime period, Spencer was the first to seize initiative and never let go. They looked to take a definitive 59-55 lead after sinking a pair of free throws with under twenty seconds left, but Decker hit a quick three to keep the Falcons’ hopes alive. The Rockets kept up the pressure by making another two free throws, leaving Abbotsford with few choices and little time left on the clock. Aguilera came through in the clutch, banking in another three as time expired to force a second overtime.
Decker and Aguilera kept the momentum for the Falcons going, scoring on Abbotsford’s first two possessions of the second overtime and putting their team up 65-61. The home team’s shooting suddenly went cold, however, the Falcons going 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-3 from the free throw line in the final three minutes of the game. Spencer scored the final nine points of the contest and escaped with a 70-65 victory.
Three Falcons finished with double-digit points, Decker leading Abbotsford with 18 points, Aguilera adding another 17 and Totzke finishing with 16. Totzke also collected an impressive 17 rebounds and had the most assists for the Falcons with five. Brodhagen picked up eight points and Bautista rounded out the scoring with six points.
