The boys basketball team had a rough start on the week with a big loss to Estrella Foothills but quickly turned things around for a successful showing at the Phoenix Country Day tournament over the weekend.

Estrella Foothills 81
Fountain Hills 36

The long week of games began Tuesday, Dec. 1, when the Falcons hit the road to take on Estrella Foothills.

The boys had only been together as a full team for one week’s worth of practices before this outing, but a week-long series of games would work wonders for sharpening skills and getting everyone on the same page.

Before the team could get rolling, though, Estrella Foothills provided one final speed bump to slow the local boys down. The hosting team jumped out to an early lead and continued to push forward, never giving the Falcons a chance to catch up.

Head coach Matt Johnson said Estrella’s press was simply too much for the Falcons to handle as the boys continued to find their footing on the court.

In the end, Estrella Foothills wrapped up a sound 81-36 win in this second regular game of the season.

Kyle Keating was the high scorer for Fountain Hills at 10 with Jordan Henslin shooting eight and providing six assists. Jeffrey Bonner pitched in with four points and nine rebounds.

Fountain Hills 60
Bourgade 58

Following the game against Estrella Foothills, the Falcons only had Wednesday to practice before returning to the court for three straight days of competition.

Taking part in the Phoenix Country Day School Tournament, things finally began to fall into place for the Falcons as the boys won close battles, provided their own blow-outs over the competition and even made it to the championship round.

The action began Thursday, Dec. 3, in the razor close opening match-up against Bourgade Catholic.

“This was a very back and forth game,” Johnson said. “We had a lead from the beginning and were able to get the lead up to 12, but Bourgade came storming back to bring it to only two points with two minutes to go.”

A free throw battle at the end gave the edge to the Falcons, who managed a narrow victory over Bourgade Catholic, 60-58.

Henslin had 11 points, 10 assists and six steals while Keating put up 13 points and teammate Josh Leger provided nine points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Fountain Hills 87
Salome 23

Into game two and the Falcons were practicing an over-powering press of their own against Salome, keeping the team from finding much in the line of offensive traction.

“Our defense was able to hold Salome to 11 points in the first half and 12 points in the second,” Johnson said.

With defense keeping the ball in the Falcons’ hands, the boys put together an impressive array of baskets to pull away with an 87-23 final score.

Alex Forehand led the charge with 19 points and five rebounds. Henslin was on hand with 11 points, 10 assists and six steals while Rainer Greenstreet sank 10 points and had eight assists.

Jeffrey Bonner added 12 points and four rebounds while Leger put up 10 points and three steals of his own.

With these first two wins, the Falcons set themselves up as the number one seed for the final two days of the tournament.

Fountain Hills 72
Tempe Prep 39

Keeping things fresh into day two of the tournament, Johnson said the Falcons utilized a new strategy, a 1-3-1 defense, to shut down Tempe Prep.

“Tempe Prep was never able to score more than 10 points in a quarter while we averaged 18,” Johnson said.

Fueled by high scores and another suffocating defensive display, the Falcons went on to chalk up another impressive victory, 72-39.

Henslin provided 15 assists on the day, just one away from the school record he set last season. Forehand put up 13 points while Nick Baker sank 12 and provided seven rebounds. Bonner was all over the place on both sides of the court with eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.

Fountain Hills 56
Phoenix Christian 43

With their win over Tempe Prep, the Falcons were now primed to take part in the semi-final round of the tournament against a tough Phoenix Christian.

“We set the pace very early in this game with our press and fast break baskets,” Johnson said. “Phoenix Christian made several attempts to get back into the game, but they never got closer than five at halftime.”

Keeping a narrow lead through the entirety of the game, the Falcons coasted in to a sound win over Phoenix Christian, 56-43, sending them on to the championship game.

Henslin provided 16 points, nine assists and five steals while Jared Steuber managed 12 points of his own. Forehand had six points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Westwind Prep 71
Fountain Hills 48

Into the final day of the tournament and the Falcons were set to take on Westwind Prep in the championship game.

The Fountain Hills squad jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, but, according to Johnson, that was quickly erased by an extremely talented Westwind Prep team.

“Westwind had four players in double figures,” Johnson said. “We committed far too many turnovers to compete with a team this talented, which resulted in the somewhat lopsided score.”

En route to this 71-48 loss and a second place final standing in the Phoenix Country Day School Tournament, Forehand led the charge with 14 points and five rebounds. Jared Steuber had 11 points and three steals while Greenstreet finished up with six points and seven assists.

As the team begins to fall in sync, the Falcons hope to carry this momentum into a long list of upcoming home games.

The boys took on Phoenix Country Day School yesterday evening and will host Horizon Honors this Friday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. The team will return to the home court next Monday, Dec. 14, for a 7 p.m. outing against San Tan Foothills.