The girl’s basketball team won against the Riverview Garden Rams 47-18 on January 18. Senior Margaret Schnieders says after checking the opponent’s past game scores the team was confident but knew they had to stay focused and not go in expecting a certain outcome.

“Looking at the other team’s record I knew that it wasn’t going to be very competitive, but I knew that I couldn’t underestimate any of our opponents so we knew we had to stick to our basics and play our game and we would be fine,” Schnieders said.

The first half went smoothly for the Falcons, with the team only allowing the Rams to score four points. Junior Jaydin Bryant says going into the game, the team started off strong and used the same techniques they worked on during practice.

“The first half went really well. We went out knowing we would do well and we did everything right and ran our plays,” Bryant said.

The team excelled in guarding as well as also having a strong offense and taking a fast and strong lead head coach Chris Wilkenson says,

“We really guarded the basketball well in the first half and built a nice lead. On offense we moved the ball and attacked the gaps vs man and their zone,” Wilkenson said.

This game stood as a testament to their skills and dedication to the sport, going into halftime with a 31-point lead. Wilkenson said towards the second half, things began to dwindle,

“ We did some things really well in the first half and we got better. In the second half, our intensity dropped some and that is something we have to work on.” Wilkenson said.

Bryant said the team lost their drive and began to struggle running plays after halftime, but the team was able to hold onto their lead,

“It was harder for us to stay focused and run our plays and do the things we did in the first half,” Bryant said.

Overall Schnieders thought everyone worked together to play the best they could even though it was considered an ‘easier’ game. The girls lifted each other up and played well as a team and not just as individuals. 

“I was proud of how the team knew it might have been an easier game to play but I thought everyone came together and still lifted each other up. A lot of the players who might get less time in the games, were able to come in and get time to practice in-game scenarios and that hasn’t happened a lot before I was also proud of [junior] Olivia Mantz because she played very well and she made sure that any other players who came in were getting passes and points,” Schnieders said.