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Summer League Rosters Posted Under "League Info". Practice Schedules are Posted Under "Schedules"!
Latest Info
 | Falcon Camp Registration has started and camps are half full. Go to Camp Information to find out more! |
| Open Gym Nights have been completed for the spring. |
| PBA Summer League Tryouts have been completed. Rosters posted under "League Info". |
| PBA End-of-Season Awards Banquet Winners Posted under "PBA Player Info" |
| Open Gym Nights start in mid-April---More to come! |
| Summer League try-outs set for mid-May. |
| Winter 2011-12 League Game Scores Posted by Team under "League Info" |
NOTE: All uniform pieces (shooting shirt, pants, jersey, shorts, all colors) must be cleaned and turned into your coach for re-use next year.
PBA 2011-12 End-of-Season Awards Banquet Honorees. Top Row (from left): Colin Jansson, Joe Soltis, Dylan Landis, Kristen Darragh, Karyn Comfort, Mollie Bodmer, Erin Green. Middle Row: Jami D'Amelio, Casey Harkins, Allie Nevius, Kate Heimbach, Breanne Hall. Bottom Row: Samme Mullikin, Tori Gruber, Gage Wolitzky, Michael McDonald, Michael Basehore, Jessie Martinez. For the complete list of awards, go to PBA Player Info page.
Congrats to all PBA Players and Coaches for a great 2011-12 season!
Open Gym Night Schedule
Open Gym Nights at JPMS (4/24 and 5/1) and the Poolesville Baptist Church (5/8) start on April 24 (Tuesday) and run for three consecutive Tuesdays leading up to PBA Summer League Tryouts in Mid-May. There will be a "girls only" dedicated time period from 6-7 PM, then all players are invited to participate from 7-9 PM. The cost is just one dollar per player and current 4th graders through current 8th graders are allowed to participate. PBA coaches and administrators will be on hand to keep an eye on everyone and players are encouraged to bring their own water.
Parents of younger players are encouraged to stay and watch the fun.
Mid-Maryland Girls D1 Tournament Summary
Windsor Knolls Too Much for PBA JV Girls!
Falcon Defense Hold Hawks to Six Points in Two Quarters, Not Enough to AdvanceIt was a tough ending to an otherwise great season for the PBA JV Girls as they fell to Windsor Knolls 31-10. Windsor Knolls jumped out to a 12-2 first half lead. Poolesville fought hard and held the Hawks to just 2 points for the entire 2nd period and 4 minutes of the third quarter. Unfortunately it wasn't the Falcons day on offense as they worked hard but struggled to chip away at the Windsor Knolls lead and eventually the Hawks pulled away to win it 31-10. "I'm really proud of how are girls played," commented Coach Trainor. "We never gave up and continued to play hard until the final buzzer."
Hailey Khalil, Haley Harkins, Madi Peyton, Delaney Cecco and Danielle Torres all scored a bucket a piece for the Falcons. The JV girls ended their season 10-6 and made it to the semi round of the tournament.
"We had a great season," said Coach Trainor. "All the girls worked hard and really improved over the course of the season. Moving to Mid-Maryland is a big adjustment and these girls handled it well. This is a good group of girls and I have had a blast coaching them this year," added Coach Trainor. "I want to thank all the parents for their support and sacrifice getting their children to and from practice and games this season. I also want to say thank you to Vin Harkins for his help this season. His 20+ years of basketball and coaching experience has been invaluable and I learned a ton from him," said Coach Trainor. "I'm already looking for summer league."
PBA JV Girls Topple Middletown to Advance!
In another hard fought game against Middletown, the the PBA JV Girls came away with a close one topping the Lady Knights 19-17. It took a quarter to get the playoff jitters out for both teams as they were locked in a 3-3 tie after one. Poolesville won the second quarter playing tenacious defense and getting five of her game nine points from Hailey Khalil in the quarter. The Falcons led at the half 12-7. The second half was a low scoring but intense contest as both teams played aggressive defense and limited the other's scoring opportunities. Middletown had a chance to tie the score or go ahead with a three pointer with 4.6 seconds left but Poolesville's defense prevailed in the end and the Falcons were able to hold onto a close one.
Erin Green, Samme Mullikin, Delaney Cecco, Bella Gardner, Danielle Torres and Kate Heimbach all took turns guarding Middletown's force on the inside, Helen Holt, holding her to two points in the contest. They also did a great job of keeping Middletown off the glass.
Hailey Khalil, Hannah Bush, Haley Harkins, Siann Riggs, Madi Peyton, and Beckah Trainor, applied the pressure on the perimeter and harassed Middletown's ball handlers into several steals that lead to fast break points for the Falcons.
Madi Peyton chipped in five points for the falcons while Samme Mullikin and Delaney Cecco added three and two points respectively.
Kristen Beckner led Middletown in scoring with nine points. Helen Holt, Helena Ottenritter and Katie Stottlemeyer added two a piece. Lindsey Brant and Hannah Sledzik both also scored for Middletown.
Lions Send
Falcons Home!
Darragh On But Defense Off as PBA
Varsity Girls Bow Out in Playoffs to Walkersville
The PBA Varsity Girls (seeded #7) traveled to Walkersville ready to redeem their season against the number 2 seed host team. With their game plan set, which called for a careful watch on Walkersville's shooting guards, the Falcons took the floor. The opening tip off was a foreshadow of how the game was to be played. The Walkersville center got to the ball first and tipped it towards their guard. Poolesville was there to battle for the ball but Walkersville came away with the loose ball and scored. As Poolesville settled into their zone defense, their coverage and movement was less than average. Walkersville jumped out to a 15-6 first quarter lead on the hot shooting had of Walkersville's point guard. In the second quarter, both teams adjusted their defensive plans and held each other to only 2 points. At the half, Walkersville held a 17-8 lead. Kristen Darragh started the third looking for her shot. Draining two three pointers from beyond the arch, helped to spark the Falcons. However, Poolesville fell into their first quarter defensive slumber and gave up more points then they scored. At the end of three quarters, Poolesville found themselves down 26-16. Not wanting to give up, the young Falcons kept battling until the end but the first quarter deficit was too much to overcome. The Falcons ended their Middle School careers with a 33-20 loss in the first round of playoffs. Leading all scores for the Falcons was Kristen Darragh with 12. Casey Harkins, also finding her shot beyond the arch, hit for four and Jami D'Amelio added a bucket. Mollie Bodmer and Karyn Comfort chipped in one point each.
MML Boys League Tournament Summaries
Oakdale Too Much for Falcons!
Hardworking PBA JV Boys Squad Season Ends in Loss to Taller EaglesThe PBA JV Boys put up a good effort but fell short on Sunday with a 38-22 loss to Oakdale in the quarter-final round of the 2011-12 MML Boys season-ending tournament. It was a hard fought defensive battle from the start with both teams sitting in zones and making the offenses work hard on each possession. Hot shooting Michael McDonald of Poolesville went 3 for 3 for 6 points in the first quarter but Oakdale was able scratch out a 13-9 1st quarter lead. Scoring was scarce in the 2nd as Oakdale tightened up even more and the halftime break arrived with Oakdale out in front 20-10. Poolesville stayed close in the 3rd, giving it all they had and logging 8 points while Oakdale added 10 to increase the lead to 12. Poolesville added pressure in the 4th to try and mount a comeback but Oakdale worked through it and was fortunate to finish the contest with a 38-22 victory.
Jake Drissel lead all Poolesville scorers with 10 points, followed by Michael McDonald with seven points (and eight rebounds), and Tim McIntyre and Michael Collins with two points each. Gage Wolitzky also scored for Poolesville. Against the taller Oakdale team, the JV Boys only took about 37 shots---easily 15 less than normal---and only hit eight. "I have to give the boys credit, they worked hard and I'm proud of what they were able to accomplish this year," said Coach John Weber. "It's tough when we beat ourselves like this, though. Out of the 13 losses we had this year, we really did beat ourselves in the majority of them. If we can correct this next year, we will do very well!". The JV Boys ended the season with a 9-13 record, going 1 and 1 in the tournament.
Three's the Charm as PBA JV Boys Upset Folly Quarters in Playoff Opener
The PBA JV Boys played one of their best games of the season, beating Folly Quarters in the 1st round of the playoffs. They avenged 2 regular season losses (defeats by 22 and five points) with a nine point victory, proving that sometimes the 3rd time is a charm! Defensively the young Falcons “kept the middle clean” and contested the outside shot and that really was the difference in the game. Scoring was led by Michael McDonald with 14, followed by Jake Drissel with 10, Tim McIntyre with seven, Tucker Ross with six, Cole Carmack and Gage Wolitzky with four each and Joe Brashear with three. From the free-throw line, the Falcons were 10 for 16 for 63% (a season high). "It was nice to see the boy’s taking care of business on both end of the court today," said Coach John Weber.
Soltis Double Dozen Sinks Vikings!
The PBA Varsity Boys built a ten-point lead early in the fourth quarter before St. John's made it interesting by closing the gap to just one with less than a minute to go. The end result was just too much Joe Soltis (game high 24 points) as the Falcons held on for a 54-51 win over the Vikings to set up a face-off with #1 Seeded Linganore on Saturday. In addition to 24 big points from Soltis, Poolesville's Jake Armstrong hit double-digits with ten and Louis Potts grinded his way to seven. Justin Souder did a nice job of handling the ball under pressure and finished with four points. Ryan Bannon scored three points and Dylan Landis also scored.
In action on Saturday, the PBA Varsity Boys ended their season with a 55-30 loss to Linganore. The Lancers took an early lead and Poolesville was unable to recover. Both teams played with intensity the entire game. Poolesville's leading scorers were Joe Soltis and Kevin Simmons with 9 each. The Lancers were led by Jack Staub with 17. Local Poolesville favorite Thomas Lang added 15.
Rising Star Playoff Game Summaries
Rising Stars Seasons Come to a Close!
Girls Push Flames to Brink, Heat too Hot at Start for BoysThe PBA Rising Stars Boy's season ended on Sunday with a spirited 41-32 lost to the Gaithersburg Heat. The Falcons played hard and never gave up after the Heat took an early ten-point lead. Coach Haddaway told the team after the game, "You left it all on the court today, I could not more proud of the way each of you competed until the final whistle sounded. There is no quit in this team and if we would have made a few more of our shots early today the final may have been different". Pete Barry led the scoring with 14, followed by Ryan Haddaway with 11, Tommy Poole with five, and Robert Siegrest with two points. Haddaway pulled down nine rebounds followed by Siegrest with six, Brady Pearre, Ryan Kasten, Tyler Morningstar each had two rebounds, Brian Jacobs and Tommy Poole each also had a board. "We look forward to everyone working on their game this summer and we will be back next year and give it another shot," said Coach Haddaway. "Thanks to all the parents for all you support this year---we have a great group of kids and parents!"
This weekend, the PBA Rising Star Girls were given the task of putting out two fires. On Saturday, the Bethesda Blaze were doused by a Falcon tidal wave of fast breaks in the Poolesville victory (see below). On Sunday however, Poolesville was not able to duplicate the success and could not blow out the Flames as they lost 34-23 in a second round playoff game. With the loss, the Falcons' season came to an end. The Flames and Falcons battled throughout a tight first half with the Flames ending up with just a two point edge 16-14. Statistically, Erin Green led Poolesville with 6 first half points, but perhaps more impressively, had six rebounds and five blocked shots. Tori Gruber, continuing her impressive play on both ends of the court, had eight first half points and six rebounds, while Kelliann Lee had three assists. In the second half, the game remained very tight until the Flames began to wear down the Falcons' interior defense. The "three amigos", Lee, Green and Gruber continued to play well with Lee banking six points on 3 for 5 shooting, Gruber added one point and three rebounds, while Green had two points, four rebounds and two blocks.
The game remained very close until the tenth minute of the second half, but the Falcons got a bit cold in their shooting down the stretch and Flames remained hot in attacking the basket. "Despite the season ending loss, the girls gave it everything they had today" said Coach Thompson. "Our press break, which was uncharacteristically poor last night, rebounded nicely today. We used a different look on breaking the press and it seemed to open up some daylight for not only crossing mid-court, but also for getting some scoring opportunities". Coach Thompson added, "Tori Gruber played lights out today. Nine points and nine rebounds along with showing increased poise in the paint. She has really come on for us in the past five games and with the great play we are getting from Erin Green each game, we have a very, very strong front court... I already can't wait for the summer season."Rising Star Girls Extinguish Blaze, Advance in Playoffs
On Saturday night, the PBA Rising Star Girls led throughout the entire contest and then held on to extinguish the Bethesda Blaze 28-26 in a first round playoff game. The Falcons exhibited an efficient fast break that led to an early lead. Rebounds and blocked shots by Erin Green (nine blocks in the first half alone) helped ignite the fast break and then the trio of guards Hannah Bush, Haley Harkins and Kelliann Lee led the charge downcourt. Green had eight points in the first half, while Harkins, Lee, Bridgette Hammett, and Tori Gruber contributed two points each. The Falcons held a 16-10 lead at the break. After half time, the Falcons flexed their muscles and charged out to a ten point lead. Erin Green added six rebounds and three more blocks to go along with five points in the second half. The Blaze continually got their shots thwarted by the long arms of Green and then started to resort to some outside shooting, as well as rely on their effective full court press. The Blaze began chipping away at the lead and eventually closed the gap to two points. However, the Poolesville defense stiffened and did not allow the Blaze to get even or go ahead on the scoreboard. Bridgette Hammett added a second basket in the second half for a total of four points in the game, while Kelliann Lee also had four points for the game and Cubby Schmidt added one point. Game scoring honors went to Erin Green who had 13 points total (highest point total this season for the team). "Nice to see us put together two wins in a row" said Coach Thompson. "I thought we should have scored several more points tonight since we had so many close in shots not fall our way, but the girls hung tough and again, found a way to win. I was surprised that we struggled so much on the press break against this team, but we will have to fix it real fast since our next opponent (the Flames) are very effective with their press."
Game Summaries February 25-27
RS Girls, Boys Finish With Wins, Playoff Time!
Mid-Maryland "A" Boys Tournament Hosted This Week by PoolesvilleOn Sunday afternoon, the PBA Rising Star Girls ended their regular season on a high note with a 24-21 win over Damascus. The Falcons came roaring out of the gates and executed their game plan nicely with emphasis on scoring in the paint. Tori Gruber and Erin Green were a force down low with Gruber recording four points and two rebounds, while Green had six first half points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots. Both Gruber and Green's tall stature in the paint created havoc for Damascus by changing several shots when the opposition had the courage to try to penetrate the Poolesville paint. Kelliann Lee, in saving one of her best performances on the year (despite still not 100% from a nagging elbow injury), had a basket, two rebounds and four assists in the first half. Haley Harkins added a basket in the first half, while Brooke Brightful had two rebounds. In the second stanza, even though Damascus's uniforms are green, they were seeing a lot of Green on the opposite side of the court as well, in the form of Erin Green. Green continued her onslaught on the boards with ten rebounds and added four points (Green ended with team high ten points) as well. The Falcons were sailing along until midway in the second half Damascus took the lead for the first time at 15-14. However, this was the one and only time the Falcons were down on the scoreboard. Poolesville struck gold several times, with a timely basket from Hannah Bush and four points from Kelliann Lee, while Tori Gruber added three rebounds. Maureen Miller, Avery Whitney-Blum and Cubby Schmidt added solid defense support, while Bridgette Hammett was a big help in the handling of the Damascus press.
"So happy for the girls to get the win today. We had been pointing to this rematch for a while. I thought the team executed several aspects of the game plan very well" said Coach Thompson. "As in the case with our past two games, we were a bit shorthanded at the guard position due to Kelliann Lee's bad elbow and Madeleine Thompson still out due to sickness. Hannah Bush and Haley Harkins continued to do a very nice job in holding off the Damascus press and executing the plan of feeding the ball down low" noted Coach Thompson. The RS Girls await their seeding in the season-ending MOCO Rising Star Tournament.
It was not the best weekend for the JV and Varsity Boys as both teams lost twice and look for better performances at this week's season-ending Mid-Maryland League "A" Tournament held this upcoming week in Poolesville.
The PBA JV Boys kicked off the weekend on the wrong note by losing at Mount Airy 60-52. In the loss, Cole Carmack led Poolesville with 12 points and Michael McDonald and Jake Drissel scored 10 points each. Michael Collins hit for six, Joe Brashear hit for five, Tim McIntyre scored four points, and Gage Wolitzky and Michael Morgan also scored.
The misery continued on Sunday as the JV Boys fell to Folly Quarters 36-31. Drissel hit for nine, McIntyre for seven, Carmack for four with Pete Barry, Tucker Ross, Collins, McDonald, and Wolitzky also scoring. The loss puts the JV Boys final regular season record at 8-12 for the year. Coach Weber, obviously not happy, said "Our guys shot horribly today---21% from the field. They need to put down the X-Box and practice shooting."
The PBA Varsity Boys picture wasn't much prettier. Despite 19 points from hard-working Joe Soltis, the Falcons fell to Mount Airy on Saturday by a final score of 54-33. Dylan Landis hit for six points, Justin Souder had three, and Ryan Bannon, Andrew Bacus and Louis Potts also scored. The Varsity Boys fell to Folly Quarters on Sunday by a final score of 46-23. Soltis finished with six points, Ryan D'Amelio had a nice game with five points, Souder and the human-wrecking-ball known as Louis Potts had four points each, and Jake Armstrong and Colin Jansson also scored.
The PBA Rising Star Boys finished up the regular season with a 38-27 victory over the WHC Force. The Falcons will go into the playoffs with an 8-2 record. It was a back and forth game until the final three minutes when the Falcon boys stole the ball six consecutive times to end the game. The first three steals were from the full court press. Following a WHC timeout the Falcons went to a half court trap and had three more steals to end the game. Pete Barry led the team in scoring with 13, followed by Ryan Haddaway with 12, Tommy Poole with nine, Brady Pearre and Brian Jacobs each had two points. Robert Siegrest controlled the boards with nine rebounds, followed by Brian Jacobs with five, Ryan Haddaway, Michael Basehore, and Tyler Morningstar each had two rebounds and Tommy Poole and Brady Pearre each had a rebound. Coach Haddaway noted the key to the victory was our pressure defense which created 24 Falcon steals led by Tommy Poole with six, followed by Pete Barry with five, Robert Siegrest and Ryan Haddaway with four steals each, Michael Basehore with three, and Brian Jacobs with two steals. According to Coach Haddaway, "This was a good victory over a strong team leading into the playoffs."
Game Summaries February 15-20
In the PBA JV Girls win over Urbana, Kate Heimbach rips down a rebound, Hailey Khalil looks for some operating room and Beckah Trainor leads the fast break. Photos by Donna Khalil.
Hailey Harkins chases down a Hawk, Siann Riggs gets some air on a jumper and Madi Peyton eyes a loose ball. Photos by Donna Khalil.
PBA JV Boys, Girls Celebrate President's Day with Wins
Varsity Girls Beat Thomas Johnson on Sunday, RS Boys SplitThe PBA's JV Girls used the whole roster, opened up a close game in the third quarter by pitching a shutout, then cruised to a President's Day 29-19 win over Urbana. Delaney Cecco led Poolesville seven points followed by Madi Peyton with six, Hailey Khalil with four and Siann Riggs with three. Hannah Bush, Bella Garner, Hailey Harkins, Erin Green, and Samme Mullikin also scored for the Falcons, who pushed their season record to 9-6.
The PBA JV Boys used the same balanced attack (eight players in the score book) to open up an early 15 point margin and maintained the lead the rest of the way in their 42-27 win over Brunswick. Cole Carmack led Poolesville with ten points (including two three-pointers). Teammate Michael McDonald hit for nine, Tim McIntyre scored seven and Gage Wolitzky and Jake Drissel pitched in four points each. "Everyone contributed tonight, we played good defense, shot the ball well and kept the turnovers to a minimum," said Coach John Weber. "If we do this every game, we can hang with any team in this league. Between the six guards on the team, they had three turnovers---in the 1st game we had 15---for the entire game and that really was the difference. Nice game guys!" Also scoring for Poolesville-----Joe Brashear, Michael Collins and Cole McKenney (who also recorded four rebounds and one blocked shot). McDonald and Wolitzky combined for 12 rebounds, keeping the ball away from Brunswick on both ends of the court. The JV Boys have a .500 season in sight with two regular season games remaining.
On Sunday the PBA JV Girls made it close by rallying to outscore Thomas Johnson in the final period 13-3, but it wasn't enough as the visitors held on to beat Falcons by a final score of 26-24. Delaney Cecco led Poolesville with nine points followed by Hailey Khalil with six and Samme Mullikin and Madi Peyton with four each. Sian Riggs also scored for the Falcons.
The PBA JV Boys went to a 2-3 zone for the first time all year against Catoctin. The defense stayed in place for a short while before Poolesville Coach John Weber went back to his standard man-to-man to hold the Cougars to just four points in the second quarter of their 52-37 win. "We didn't really execute the zone well so we went back to our full court man," said Weber. "We played with a lot of energy tonight but really need to be able to that way without so many fouls. Catoctin scored 17 of their 37 points from the free throw line and that's something we need to correct." Michael McDonald led all scorers with 12, followed by Cole Carmack with 10, Jake Drissel with eight, Tim McIntyre, Gage Wolitzky and Tucker Ross with four each and Pete Barry and Michael Collins with two each. "We ended the game shooting 46% from the field which was twice as good from how we shot our last game," said Weber. "We still only hit 3 for 12 from the line. For us to do well these last three games of the season and in the playoffs, we really need to shoot better from both the field and the free throw line."
The PBA Varsity Girls made the most of their opportunities from the charity stripe as they shot a cool 18-for-25 from the free throw line to beat Thomas Johnson's Varsity Girls by a final score of 34-27 on Sunday. With both teams pressuring the ball, the free throw line was a busy place with Poolesville hitting theirs in the fourth quarter to win. The Falcons were paced by Casey Harkins with 12, Karyn Comfort with eight, and Breanne Hall with six.
Monday was a different story for the Poolesville's Varsity Girls as Urbana's Varsity showed how year-around basketball pays off. With coaches from schools all over gazing onward from the packed bleachers at Poolesville High School, Urbana applied pressure from the tip-off and cruised to a 42-22 victory over the listless Falcons. Urbana's "big three" of dedicated hoopsters did not disappoint the crowd of interested onlookers as Gaelin Hirabayashi (15 points), Kendall Bresee (11 points) and Katie Aquino (eight points) out-ran, out-scored, and out-rebounded the home team. Poolesville picked up an honest effort from Casey Harkins---she led the Falcons with seven points. Breanne Hall pitched in six points for Poolesville. Also scoring for Poolesville were Allie Nevius (on a nice long three-pointer), Mollie Bodmer, Jessie Martinez (who scored, rebounded to start a fast break, then drew a charge in one sequence) and Kristen Darragh.
The pendulum swung the other way hard in the PBA Varsity Boys match-up as a short-handed Poolesville squad, hamstrung by in-season vacations and otherwise unavailable players, took a 54-18 beating at the hands of their down-the-Potomac-River rivals. Benefitting by a lack of teammates, Colin Jansson made the most of the opportunity by having a breakout game for Poolesville---he finished with eight points and eight rebounds. Jake Armstrong finished with six and Andrew Bacus had three. Louis Potts played hard and also scored.
On Saturday the Varsity Boys made it competitive as they lost to Catoctin 42-34 behind Ryan Bannon's 18 points. A strong Catoctin second quarter did the trick for Catoctin as they outscored the undermanned Falcons 14-2 to take a lead they would not relinquish. Closing the gap a couple of times in the third quarter to five points, the Falcons could come no closer and ended up losing to the Cougars for the second time this season. Leading the way for the Falcons was Bannon with 18. He was helped by Jake Armstrong with eight, and Dylan Landis with three, Colin Jansson, Louis Potts, and Ryan D'Amelio also scored for Poolesville.
On Saturday night, the PBA Rising Star Girls team had a very familiar result as many of their games this season; however the storyline was a bit different from any of the previous games. The Falcons dropped a 20-15 decision to Team Skillz in what was another heartbreaking finish. The first half of the game was a slugfest, as usually happens when Team Skillz comes into town. Points were few and far between the two teams. The Falcons were shorthanded tonight at guard with Kelliann Lee out and Madeleine Thompson having to leave in the first few minutes of the game due to sickness--- leaving just two guards on the roster, Hannah Bush and Haley Harkins. To compound matters, Bush picked up three fouls in the first half. However, Poolesville continued to battle through the adversity the rest of the half and led by three at the break. First half scoring was shared by four players with a basket (Bridgette Hammett, Cubby Schmidt, Erin Green and Tori Gruber). Schmidt led the Falcons on the boards at the half with three.
Team Skillz came out firing in the second half and overtook the lead. The Falcons' pressure defense, which served them so well in the second half, gave up some fast breaks and easy baskets. Despite the obstacles facing Poolesville, the pressure defense of the Falcons found new life later in the half and began to play havoc with Team Skillz' ability to get the ball past half court. Haley Harkins and Hannah Bush seemed to dip deep into their wells of energy and generated a consistent deterrent on the press break as well as handling the Skillz's press. Buoyed by the hard work on the boards by Tori Gruber (seven second half rebounds), the Falcons overtook the lead midway through the second half. Down the stretch though, Skillz was able to make a couple of baskets in the paint and retake the advantage. Poolesville had chances to take back the lead in the last couple of minutes, but fell short. With the score at 18-15 and 30 seconds to go, Poolesville was able to get off one of the options it was looking for, but was not able to successfully convert. Cubby Schmidt finished with a game high six points, Tori Gruber had three points, while Haley Harkins and Bridgette Hammett had two points each. "I told the girls after the game that I couldn't have been prouder of them- we laid everything on the line for the whole game," said Coach Thompson. "We were down to just two guards and one of the guards had foul trouble in the first half. Haley Harkins, Hannah Bush were absolute workhorses this game." Coach Thompson also notes, "Bridgette Hammett demonstrated what team work is all about and came in and filled in admirably at a position she had never played before. Tori Gruber ruled the boards in the second half and kept the Skillz from gathering second chance shots."
The Rising Star Girls limped into Sunday's game against the Flames and fell by their largest margin of the season 44-18. As in the case with their game the day before, the Falcons were short on guards with the absence of Kelliann Lee and Madeleine Thompson only able to get in for a few minutes due to lingering sickness. Haley Harkins and Hannah Bush again had to pick up the slack at the guard position and tried their best against a ferocious Flames full court press. After playing a very hard fought game the previous evening, many of the Falcons seemed weary in challenging the very talented Flames squad. The first half ended with the Flames on top 25-12. First half scoring honors went to Cubby Schmidt and Tori Gruber, each with four points, while Erin Green chipped in with two points and Hannah Bush and Maureen Miller had one point each. Erin Green had five rebounds and a whopping six blocks just in the first half alone. Tori Gruber pulled down four rebounds.
The second half went about the same way for Poolesville as the opening stanza as the Flames converted several fast break opportunities. Erin Green continued her relentless assault on the boards by gathering an additional six rebounds in this half as well as three more blocked shots. The only field goals in the second half for the Falcons belonged to Thompson and Green, while Avery Whitney- Blum recorded her first point of the season with a converted free throw. "The girls didn't seem to have much in their tank today" said Coach Thompson. "With a rested, full roster we lost to the Flames by one point earlier in the season; however we didn't have much depth today. Erin Green played I believe her best defensive game ever by recording 11 rebounds and an unheard of nine blocked shots....she was an absolute wall out there." Coach Thompson also noted, "I was very happy to see Maureen Miller take it strong to the basket and force a foul and Avery Whitney-Blum recording her first point as a Falcon. We will regroup and be ready to pay back Damascus next Sunday with a victory."
The weekend started on a good note for the PBA Rising Star Boys as they opened up a quick lead and held serve the rest of the way in their 40-28 victory over the M.A.D.E. team. Michael Basehore led the Falcons with 12 points and provided a ton of energy when needed to insure the victory. Brady Pearre had eight points, followed by Ryan Haddaway and Pete Barry with six points each, Brian Jacobs with three points, and Robert Siegrest and Jack Tyler with two points each. Siegrest, Ryan Kasten and Barry led the rebounding with six apiece followed by Pearre and Jacobs with five each, Haddaway with four, Tommy Poole and Tyler with 3 each, Colin Metz and Basehore with two each, and Tyler Morningstar and Trevor McFall also each grabbed aboard. The boys also had 18 steals and only 13 turnovers. Coach Haddaway was happy that everyone contributed to a good team victory.
Sunday was a different story, and the Rising Star Boys shooting woes did them no favor as they fell to Damascus by a final score of 44-39. Coach Haddaway noted, "We just did not shoot well at all this weekend, we managed to play through the poor shooting on Saturday and still come out with a victory. We were not that fortunate today." Ryan Haddaway led the scoring with 12 points followed by Michael Basehore with six, Brady Pearre, Pete Barry and Colin Metz each had four points. Robert Siegrest, Tommy Poole, and Jack Tyler also scored in the loss. Brian Jacobs led the rebounding with nine, followed by Barry and Pearre with four rebounds each, Haddaway and Basehore with three each, Robert Siegrest, Tommy Poole, Jack Tyler, and Colin Metz with two each, and Ryan Kasten with one rebound. The Falcons kept it close by thieving away 16 steals led by Colin Metz and Brady Pearre each with four. "Damascus really jumped on us today early but the boys fought hard and made it a great game, we just didn't make enough shots to win today. We will go to practice this week and work on our shooting and come out next weekend ready to play," said Coach Haddaway. "It was great to see Michael play so well this weekend."
The PBA JV Girls got it handed to them in Walkersville earlier in the week as the Lady Lions roared to a 37-16 win over the Falcons, Poolesville was led by Hailey Khalil with eight points, Delaney Cecco and Siann Riggs each had three points, and Madi Payton had a bucket.
The PBA Varsity Girls were soundly beaten by Walkersville as well by a final score of 43-26. Poolesville was led in scoring by three players with five points each-----Casey Harkins, Lauren Lightcap and Kristen Darragh. Karyn Comfort had four, and Mollie Bodmer scored three. Allie Nevius, Christina Hilton and Jami D'Amelio also scored for Poolesville.
Game Summaries February 11-12
PBA Varsity Girls Send North South!
Senior PBA Girls Hang On for Win, RS Boys Go to 6-1The PBA Varsity Girls opened up an eight-point halftime lead over visiting North Hagerstown and then hung on for a 32-29 win. North closed the Poolesville lead to just two in the third before the Falcon's "D" rose to the challenge to shut the game down. Casey Harkins led Poolesville with 11 points. Mollie Bodmer had nine and Jami D'Amelio and Breanne Hall had three each. Erin Sparrow and Lauren Lightcap each added a bucket for the Falcons. Coach Hall commended after the game, "We walked away with a win tonight and I'm proud of the girls for keeping their cool under pressure. We played well in the first half and shot nearly 30% as a team. However, in the second half we shot 4/24 or 17% and had 10 turnovers. We need to do a much better job finishing our shots and protecting the basketball."
The PBA Rising Star Boys raised their record to 6-1 this weekend with a 31-28 victory over a scrappy Laurel Lakers team. Tommy Poole came up big at the free throw line late in the game to seal the Falcon victory. Robert Siegrest continued to dominate the boards with 12 rebounds. Coach Haddaway was concerned where the points would come from with two starters out but everyone stepped up to contribute to the victory. Pete Barry led the scoring with eight points, followed by Tommy Poole with seven, Robert Siegrest with six, Brian Jacobs with four, and Trevor McFall, Michael Basehore, Jack Tyler each with a bucket. In addition to Siegrest manning the boards, Brian Jacobs finished with six points, Michael Basehore with five, Pete Barry and Tyler Morningstar with four each, and Jack Tyler and Ryan Kasten with three each. Tommy Poole and Colin Metz also snagged rebounds. "Laurel really came on strong in the last four minutes of the game and our boys met the challenge and brought home the win," said Coach Haddaway. "It was a great effort from all the boys."
Earlier in the season The PBA's Varsity Boys were no match for Linganore's top team. What a difference a month can make as the homestanding Falcons gave the Lancers all they could handle before Linganore headed back to New Market with a 52-42 win. Linganore's Thomas Lang showed some experience on the Poolesville rims---he hit for 13 for the visitors, including nine in the second period when the Lancers opened up a 14-point lead. Poolesville's Joe Soltis continued his excellent season despite the Falcon's lopsided record. The reliable and sharp-shooting Soltis scored 21 points while his fellow big man Kevin Simmons bullied his way to 16 points. Ryan Bannon hit for three for the Falcons and Justin Souder also scored.
Linganore's JV Boys broke open a tight game (16-all at the half) to beat the PBA JV Boys 28-24. Tim McIntyre and Jake Drissel led Poolesville with seven and six points respectively. Gage Wolitzky and Michael McDonald also scored four each for the Falcons. Colin Fisher and Tucker Ross also scored for Poolesville. "Not the best game for us," said Coach John Weber. "We played like we practiced all week and it showed up all over the court." "You can't win if you can hit from the field or play defense when it counts," said Weber, "and we didn't do either of those well today."
On Sunday, the PBA Rising Stars Girls team was downed by the CSA Coyotes 28-21. Poolesville had not played a league game in a couple of weeks and the rust was on full display in the first few minutes of the game. CSA stormed out to an 8-0 lead and it looked like the Falcons were going to be run out of the gym. However, Poolesville remained calm and began chipping away at the deficit throughout the remainder of the first half. After the break, the Falcons trailed by just one basket (12-10). The comeback was led by a pressure defense as well as points by Kelliann Lee (four points), and Erin Green, Haley Harkins, and Megan Roldan with two points each. Green was dominant down low with three blocks and five rebounds for the Falcons in just the opening half.
The second stanza featured a see-saw affair with several lead changes. Poolesville led with five minutes to go in the game but CSA began to take advantage of the foul trouble of the Falcons' front line by attacking with success down low. Eventually, Poolesville could not muster enough points in the last few minutes to overtake the lead. Madeleine Thompson had the game scoring honors by scoring all of her five points in the second half including a nice basket and one in the paint, Brooke Brightful had a breakout game with four points (including two nice swishes on free throws) and four rebounds, while Bridgette Hammett broke out of a scoring slump with a timely basket.
"CSA is a tough matchup for us due to their size and speed" said Coach Thompson. "Before the game we talked about the need to try to contain them on the boards and I think we did a much better job in that area from our first meeting this season. We also talked about limiting them from getting fast breaks, which I thought we improved on quite well." Coach Thompson noted "I was very happy to see some players that really stepped up tonight and played their best games so far this season, namely Brooke Brightful and Bridgette Hammett. Although we have won just one of our last four games, the girls keep getting so close to adding to the win column. We will just keep working hard and continue to knock on that door."
Game Summaries February 4-5
PBA JV Boy Jake Drissel elevates over MSD, Varsity Girl Jessie Martinez dribbles past Middletown, Rising Star Ryan Kasten gets his shot off against KOA. Photos by Tom Amiot, For reprints contact Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com.
PBA Rising Star Boys Push Record to 5-1
JV Boys Split, JV Girls Beat MiddletownThe PBA Rising Star Boys started off slow but finished quickly in their 42- 22 victory against the KOA Warroirs West on Sunday, pushing the young Falcons record to 5-1 for the season. Michael Basehore jump started the defense by chasing down a Warrior on a fast break, blocking his shot and keeping it inbounds, then starting a fast break in the other direction. Robert Siegrest continues to be the chairman of the boards leading the Falcons in rebounds for the third game in a row with six, as well as Tyler Morningstar and Pete Barry each with six. Ryan Kasten, Brady Pearre, Brain Jacobs, Tommy Poole each pulled down four boards, Colin Metz, Trevor McFall had three rebounds each, and Ryan Haddaway, Michael Basehore, Jack Tyler also helped clean the glass. The Falcons came away with 19 steals, with Brady Pearre and Pete Barry leading the way with four each, Brian Jacobs and Tommy Poole with three each, Michael Basehore with two, and Ryan Haddaway, Trevor McFall, and Tyler Morningstar each with a steal. Robert Siegrest, Tommy Poole, and Ryan Haddaway each had three assists to lead the Falcons followed by Pete Barry with two and Brady Pearre and Brian Jacobs each with one. The RS Boys only committed 10 turnovers today.
The scoring in the win was paced by Ryan Haddaway and Pete Barry each with 10 each followed by Brady Pearre, Tommy Poole, and Brian Jacobs each with six, and Jack Tyler and Trevor McFall each with a bucket. Coach Haddaway was pleased with the effort but noted the boys did not shoot well today, however, turning the ball over only ten times versus grabbing 19 steals and recording 13 assists is a ration Coach Haddaway will take any time.
Poolesville's JV Boys finished the weekend on a strong note by opening up a 14-2 lead over MSD on the way to a 43-27 home win. Ten Falcons scored led by Michael McDonald with 10, followed by Cole Carmack and Gage Wolitzky put in six each, Pete Barry with five, and Tim McIntyre and Michael Morgan with four each. Joe Brashear, Jake Drissel, Cole McKenney and Tucker Ross also scored for Poolesville in the win. "We ended the game with 14 turnovers which was better than against Glenwood but not good enough," said Coach John Weber. "We need to keep them to less than double digits to be competitive. Most concerning is that four of those turnovers happened throwing the ball in and this should never happen!"
Coach Weber called it against Glenwood. "Too many turnovers, no movement on offense and less than stellar defense was that was the difference in the game," said Weber. "The key to this game was that we had over 30 turnovers in one game and gave Glenwood their second win of the season. Poolesville's slim halftime lead fell apart in the second half under the weight of the turnovers, resulting in the JV Boys recording a 43-32 loss. Jake Drissel was hitting from the field scoring all 13 of his points for the day in the first half alone. Tucker Ross put in 10, Gage Wolitzky six, Cole Carmack and Michael McDonald four each, while Tim McIntyre and Colin Fisher rounded out the scoring with two each. "Not really too many highlights from this game from a Poolesville perspective," said Weber. "Probably the most disappoint point of this game is that we quit looking for the high post, so the guys down low quit cutting and we made it real easy on their defense. We really gave this game away."
The PBA Varsity Boys got a sterling effort from big man Kevin Simmons (29 points) against Glenwood on Saturday, but Simmons didn't get much help otherwise as the senior PBA Falcons fell to the Cobras by a final score of 79-44.
The PBA JV Girls held a slim margin for most of the game against Middletown on Sunday but made the lead hold up and held on for a 19-15 win over the Lady Knights. The Falcons balanced scoring attack was paced by Siann Riggs with five points, Erin Green with four and Hailey Khalil with two.The PBA Varsity Girls lost to Middletown 21-20. "It was one of those nights where nothing was falling. In addition to our shooting, our defense gave up too many looks inside which the Knights capitalized on." commented Coach Hall after the game. The Falcons could not get their offense started and at the end of the first quarter, the Falcons were staring at a 3-0 goose-egg. Hall continued, "We tried everything and got everyone into the game in the first quarter trying all combinations but nothing seemed to work." Shooting did not improve the rest of the game and in the end, the Falcons shot just 7 for 44 for a 15.9% shooting percentage. Although the Falcons led after the third quarter, 18-17, only hitting two foul shots and nothing from the floor was the deciding factor. Leading all scores for the Falcons was Allie Nevius with seven points followed by Karyn Comfort with five. Casey Harkins hit for four and Breanne Hall and Jami D'Amelio each added two.
Game Summaries January 28-29
PBA Varsity Girl Allie Nevius shoots over her Oakdale defender. Rising Star Brady Pearre shows his "ups" against the WHC Force, JV Girl Madison Peyton looks to score against Oakdale. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, email Tom at JCPhotoClub at aol.com.
Rising Star Boys Down Hoyas, WHC Force!
Rising Star Girls Beat Eagles, Start Winning StreakSunday was Fun Day as the PBA Rising Star Boys moved their record to 4-1 with a 45-21 victory over the Hoyas. With nine players scoring the young Falcons had a very balanced attack. The Hoyas did a good job keeping it close in the first half and Poolesville Coach Haddaway thought his team was taking too many outside shots early on. "Once we settled down and started taking the ball to the rim we really took over the game," said Haddaway. "We also did a better job of sharing the basketball and that always helps." Ryan Haddaway led Poolesville in scoring with eight points, followed by Brady Pearre, Michael Basehore, and Pete Barry each with six. Colin Metz, Robert Siegrest, Jack Tyler, and Brian Jacobs each had four points and Tommy Poole hit for three.
The RS Boys started the weekend on a very strong note by beating a formidable WHC Force squad in overtime by a final score of 47-45. Poolesville trapped and pressed their way to an early eleven point lead but the Force rose to the occasion and tied the game at the half. With three minutes to go in regulation the Force held a seven point lead. Poolesville fought back and with just three seconds to go in regulation Pete Barry (11 points total) hit a three-pointer to tie things up and force the Force into an extra period of play. Brady Pearre took it from there scoring six points in OT to secure the victory for the young Falcons. In addition to Barry's eleven, Tommy Poole and Ryan Haddaway had ten points each, Pearre finished with seven, Brian Jacobs had six and Robert Siegrest finished with three.
On Sunday afternoon, the PBA Rising Star Girls team got off the "schneid" and defeated the Lady Eagles by a final score of 27-21. The Falcons soared to an early lead of 9-0 in the opening minutes of the game. The cushion was built by the tenacious defense of Kelliann Lee and Haley Harkins with several steals leading to layups and open shots. The offense cooled in the latter portions of the opening half, yet the Falcon defense was stingy in only allowing three points for the Lady Falcons. Poolesville led by eight at the break. Megan Roldan played an excellent first half with four points and four rebounds in leading the first half charge. Erin Green ruled the paint with six points, while Harkins, Madeleine Thompson each had a basket.
In the second half, the Falcons started strong again and surged to a 23-8 lead. Tori Gruber had four rebounds, while Brooke Brightful added three boards. As the minutes were winding down in the game, the Lady Falcons got on fire from outside and hit multiple three pointers and outside shots to make the score respectable at the buzzer. Erin Green led Poolesville in scoring with eight points, Madeleine Thompson followed with six, Megan Roldan had four points, Kelliann Lee added three points, while Maureen Miller (displaying a nice touch from the outside), Hannah Bush, and Haley Harkins finished with a basket. All of the team pitched in with solid defensive minutes including Avery Whitney-Blum, Bridgette Hammett, and Cubby Schmidt. "Very happy to get the first win after being so close the past couple of games" said Coach Thompson. "The girls definitely deserved it. I thought our start today was outstanding. Kelliann Lee was like a pickpocket on their point guard and Kelliann also made some very nice assists to Erin down low."
On Saturday the PBA Varsity Girls dropped a hard fought game to Oakdale 38-28. The Oakdale girls kept the Falcons at arms length and slightly outscored them each quarter. "Our scoring production was not good enough to win a game," said Poolesville Coach Chris Hall. "Adding together missing easy baskets with not taking shots and defense allowing dribble penetration equals a tough game." commented Hall. Scoring for the Falcons were Casey Harkins and Kristen Darragh with nine each followed by Allie Nevius and Jami D'Amelio with five apiece.
The PBA JV Girls dropped a tough one to Oakdale on Saturday night. The Lady Falcons started off fast and had little trouble with Oakdale's full court man-to-man press in the first half and finished the mid-way point with a 19-18 lead. The second half didn't fair so well for Poolesville in what proved to be a lopsided affair. "We got whistled for several quick fouls in the third period and it really took the wind out of our sails," commented Coach Trainor. "We just couldn't get things going in the second half. You aren't going to beat a team like Oakdale scoring only six points the entire second half." Oakdale outscored the Falcon's 25 -6 in the second half and pulled away to an easy 43-25 victory. Fifteen of Oakdale's point total came from the free throw line, and in the end, Oakdale shot 24 free throws during the contest compared to Poolesville's six.
Madi Peyton led the Falcons in scoring with six points and Siann Riggs scored five points. Hailey Khalil, Hannah Bush, Haley Harkins, Delaney Cecco and Danielle Torres all also scored for Poolesville. Samme Mullikin took three textbook charges for the Falcons but was unfortunately called for blocking on two and the other was completely ignored. "Although the calls didn't go our way, I thought that Samme sacrificing for the team and taking those charges were the highlight of the game for me. I love to see that kind of unselfish play," said Coach Trainor. "We played a tough game and unfortunately things didn't go our way," said Trainor. "I would rather lose tough games during the season and get all of our girls valuable playing time now so that when tournament time rolls around, all of our girls, when called upon, are ready to go."
Behind the five three-point scores recorded by Jermaine Hill, the TJ Patriots clipped the PBA Varsity Boys by a final score of 54-50. In a contest marked by back and forth lead changes, the Falcons led by four very late in the game, but it was the three-point dagger by Hill with less than thirty seconds left that sealed the game. Hill finished as the game high scorer with 21. The Falcons were paced by Kevin Simmons with 19, Joe Soltis with 17 and Justin Souter with five. Also getting into the scoring column were Andrew Bacus with four points and Jake Armstrong and Dylan Landis with two each. Louis Potts also scored.
Thomas Johnson's JV Boys opened up an early 10-2 lead over the PBA JV Boys before the game settled into a good ol' fashioned dog fight. The Falcons clawed their way back from two double-digit deficits to pull within one point late in the third period, but too many turnovers and the hot shooting of T.J. sent home-standing Poolesville to a 48-34 loss. Poolesville's Michael McDonald (11 points) and Tim McIntyre (six points) keyed the Poolesville comeback. Pete Barry scored five points and Jake Drissel finished with four. Gage Wolitzky, Michael Morgan, Tucker Ross and Michael Collins also scored for Poolesville.
Game Summaries January 26
