BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALLFalcon vs. Pueblo CentennialThe basketball season got off to a flying start when varsity Coach Doug Ravasdy’s Falcons traveled to Pueblo Dec. 1. The game was pretty well in control from tip off to final buzzer, with the Falcons winning by 15: 75-60. The Falcons had a commanding halftime lead of 31-17 and didn’t look back. Senior Adam Link had the hot hand for the Falcons, with 18 points, followed by John Keinast, with 15; and 14 for Onorio Franco. Keinast also scored the first Falcon double/double (points and rebounds) for the season. He had 11 rebounds to go with his 15 points and five steals.It would appear to me that the turnover (TO) figure could use a little fixing as the Falcons lost control of the ball 16 times, and that seems a little high for this caliber of basketball. But, this was just the first game and there is always a little apprehension and excitement when playing the first one. Anyway, congratulations Falcons on your victory.RAMPART TIP-OFF CLASSIC TOURNAMENT (Dec. 4, 5, 8)Game 1 – Falcons vs. Sand CreekFor the first game of the Rampart Tip-Off Classic Tourney, the Falcons went up against Coach Aaron William’s Scorpions (2-0). The Falcons played close throughout the game, even though their turnovers came home to haunt them. They had 30 turnovers, and a team that appears to have as much talent as the Falcons just cannot hand over the ball that many times and expect to win against a strong opponent. The Falcons outshot the Scorpions from the field – 54 percent to 43 percent – but could only manage 41 shots from the field because of the turnovers. Do the math! If the TOs could be cut down by half with the Falcon’s field goal shooting still at plus-50 percent, this is a game that probably could have been won with a possible 56 shots rather than the 41 they had. However, it was an exciting game to watch, as the Falcons outscored the Scorpions in the first and fourth quarters by a score of 42-28. Adam Link and Paul Rotering had their first double/double of the young season, with Link dropping in 13 points and collecting 12 rebounds and Rotering scoring 10 points and hauling in 11 rebounds. Lewis Baumann, Onorio Franco and John Keinast all scored in double figures for the Falcons. Final score: Falcon 61, Sand Creek 70.Game 2 – Falcons vs. Pine CreekOn the second night of the Rampart Tip-off Classic, the Falcons pretty much had their way with the Pine Creek Eagles. The Falcons outscored the Eagles in every quarter to win by a score of 62-39. The Falcons just about cut their turnovers by half from the previous game and continued their field goal shooting of 50 percent to seal this victory. Adam Link again had the hot hand in more than one stat. He scored 19 points with four out of five field goals attempted. He was one for one from the 3- point line and eight of eight in free throws. Lewis Baumann was the other scorer in double figures, with 13 points. John Keinast had 7 points to go with his 3/4 free throws, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Jordan Yates had 5 points, Onorio Franco had 9, Paul Rotering 7 and Ryan Wusk had 2 points to round out the scoring. Congratulations Falcons on your win.Game 3 – Falcons vs. Rio RanchoIn the Falcon’s final game of the Rampart Tip-off Classic Tourney, Brian Smith’s Rio Rancho Rams brought their stifling man defense to the show. However, Falcon Coach Doug Ravasdy’s boys were up to the challenge. Except for a Ram 7-point run just before halftime and an 8-point run against the Falcons in the third quarter, this was an exciting and close ball game. The Falcon’s 38.5 percent shooting from the field was respectful enough against the tight defense they were up against. The 12 steals and 28 defense rebounds by the Falcons showed they also can play some pretty good man defense. The experience against the Rams will certainly put some Ws in the win column.The different offensive and defensive changes by Falcon’s Coach Ravasdy could not close up the final score of Falcons 48, Rio Rancho 56. The 8-point difference does not reflect how close this game was. If you did not attend this game, you missed a good one. Lewis Baumann dropped in 11 points for high scoring honors, while Adam Link had 10 to go with his seven rebounds, five steals and five blocked shots. Good job Falcons!There were plenty of empty Falcon seats at the game. Check out your schedule; call the school or call me – Vinnie Mac at 390.0953 or 491.7986 to find out the date of the next ball game. It’s disappointing to see so few people at the games, and the people there are probably parents. Let’s support our scholar athletes and fill up those seats for the remainder of this season. You certainly won’t be disappointed in the quality of play of these athletes. This is about as good as it gets.See you at the next Vinnie Mac Sports Corner.
