This column does not necessarily represent the views of The New Falcon Herald.Jan. 14Falcon 65Vista Ridge 46This was the first meeting with a new rival, and the game was played on the Vista Ridge home court. Falcon started off well on both ends of the court and led at halftime 38-14. This was a game that was played just about as expected on paper. Kendall Godley had the hot hand and his best game of the year right from the start. He ended the game with 27 points, followed by Kalen Link, who had his first triple double of the Falcon season by scoring 15 points to go with 12 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. The Falcons shot the ball well and played exceptional defense.Jan. 18Falcon 56Discovery Canyon 47The Falcons were on a bit of a roll during the middle of January when they beat Discovery Canyon at home 56-47. The Falcons started off a little slow against probably an inferior team, and only led by 4 at halftime. Even though Falcon outscored Discovery Canyon 32-27 in the second half, the Falcon’s lead was cut to 4 late in the fourth quarter. Jared Wilson had a great break-out game for the Falcons and was high-point man with 20 points, followed by Kalen Link with 12. This was four league wins in a row for the Falcons, and they stood at 4-1 in league play. Jan. 21Falcon 45Sierra 43A pretty cool night might have been the reason the score of this game did not meet the expectations of a shootout between Falcon and Sierra – two-time defending state champions. The Falcons were up by 9 at the end of the first quarter, down by 2 at halftime, down by 6 at the end of the third period and played an excellent fourth quarter by scoring 19 points. They came back to win against a strong Sierra ball club. Falcon had three 3-pointers in this game to help their cause. For Sierra, Wesley Gordon, their big, multi-talented center on both ends of the court, scored 25 points and was the only Sierra player in double figures. Kendall Godley was the only Falcon player to score in double figures, with 22 points. This win was five league wins in a row, and they now stand at 5-1 in league play. Jan. 25Falcon 57Palmer Ridge 60Playing at home, the Falcons lost to a scrappy Palmer Ridge ball club in overtime, in what Coach Doug Ravasdy felt was a game that his Falcon’s definitely could and should have won. The Falcons came out slow again and were down by 10 at the end of the first quarter but came back strong in the second quarter to score 19 points for a halftime lead 29-25. The score at the end of regulation was tied at 50, but in overtime the Falcons were outscored 9 to 6 and lost the game by 3 points. Palmer Ridge made some timely free throws in overtime, which was the difference in the game. Palmer Ridge was led by their Mr. Everything, Collin Babcock. He had 17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals; and he blocked three shots. The game dropped the Falcons to 5-2 in league play. Jan. 27Falcon 50Lewis Palmer 58It is always tough when you play on your opponents’ home court, especially when that opponent is ranked No. 1 in state in class 4A. This was the case when the Falcons played on Lewis Palmer’s home court. Coach Ravasdy felt that the Falcons probably put together their best game of the season so far, even though the outcome was not in their favor. The Falcons were down by 2 at the end of the first quarter but came back to take the lead at halftime 28-26. With two minutes left in the game, the Falcons were only down by 2 but could not hold on. Jared Wilson led the scoring for the Falcons with 17 points, followed closely by Kendall Godley with 14 points. Kalen Link was pretty much contained by Josh Scott, who is probably regarded as the top center in the state.Jan. 29Falcon 52Sand Creek 49On their own home court, Falcon and rival Sand Creek were again in a highly contested ball game. The Falcons were down by 3 at the end of the first quarter, down by 3 at halftime and down by 7 after three quarters of play. In the fourth quarter, the defense stepped up and held their opponents to 7 points, while ripping the nets for 17. Jared Wilson had 16 for the Falcons, Kalen Link also dropped in 16 and Kendall Godley had 8. Nick Lenhard had one of his best showings of the season by scoring 9 points and had a personal high 5 steals to help the cause. This brought the Falcons to 6-3 in league play.Feb. 3Falcon 57Harrison 75Height usually has its advantages, and that’s what Harrison put on the floor when they came to Falcon on a cold winter night. They were tall, a couple of players at 6 feet 8 inches, a couple at 6 feet 7 inches, some 6 feet 6 inches and 6 feet 5 inches – and all were athletic. The Falcons fought gamely and were only down by 4 at halftime. Free throws played an important part in the outcome of this game. According to Coach Ravasdy’s score book, Harrison shot an amazing 46 free throws. Jared Wilson was out with the flu so Coach Ravasdy started freshman Chance Matlock, who did well by dumping in 14 points. Kendall Godley had 23, and Kalen Link added 11. As good as the game was until the fourth quarter, the Falcons just did not have an answer for their height disadvantage and a really good Harrison ball club. Editor’s note: Vince McConnell is away for a few weeks after a recent surgery. Our wishes for a speedy recovery go out to Vince!
