The gym air was buzzing with excitement before the varsity Falcons even took the floor. Both the freshmen and junior varsity boys teams got big season opening wins, and the varsity boys followed their efforts with a 59-21 win over American Leadership Academy West Foothills.

Head coach Jeff Bonner said the players may surprise themselves in the first game, and the Falcons looked like an elite defensive squad right out of the gate. The Falcons led 17-3 after the first quarter and they were in complete control all game.

Senior Deisel Giger forced three turnovers with his defensive pressure. He forced an over and back violation, traveling and a carry violation, and he closed the third quarter out with back-to-back steals. Giger is in great shape and showed the defensive hustle which earned him an All-Region first team selection at linebacker this football season.

“I think playing football and having a defensive mindset is very important,” Giger said. “I know my role on the team is literally just to get in people’s faces, make their starting point guard, make their best player angry, make them uncomfortable, and I think football really helps with that.”

Giger also added eight points and was the only Falcon to make a three-point shot. The team took several deep shots, but they didn’t fall. Late in the second quarter, junior Keaton Ort passed to Giger at the top of the key and he made the open shot to make it 38-7.

“There is definitely an emphasis on three-point shooting, and we want to take smart shots, take the best shot we can every possession,” Giger said. “I don’t think we forced too many shots. I feel like they were all good shots.”

The Falcons made 10 free throws out of 17 and showed the ability to score from anywhere inside the three-point arc. Ort led all Falcons with 17 points, and senior Aiden Logan was a close second with 13 points.

Ort did all his damage in the first half, and Logan came alive in the third quarter. Logan scored a pretty euro layup in the first quarter, and he got the defense with the same move again in the second half. Logan scored six points in the third quarter and also had two full court pass assists to senior Napherious Doka-Johnson that same quarter.

Doka-Johnson scored seven points and was a good rebounder in place of senior Luke Bloedel. Bloedel had seven points in the first half but didn’t play much in the second half. He finished with nine points and four offensive rebounds.

The Falcons subbed in a new rotation in the fourth quarter. Senior Jake Zuberbuhler and sophomore Matthew Heaney went in for the first time, and seniors Jack Erwin and Tory Johnson got extra playing time. Senior Ty Cosman was the only starter on the court in the fourth, and he was replaced halfway by senior Spencer Nelson.

The subs also played great defense, and ALA West Foothills only scored four points on two free throw trips in the final quarter. Zuberbuhler made one free throw, and Nelson made a layup with 30 seconds left to make it 59-21.

The Falcons will face tougher competition as the year goes on, but they proudly celebrated their first win of the new season. The Falcons hosted Shadow Mountain this past Monday, Nov. 21, after press time, and they will be playing in the Ben Franklin Thanksgiving Classic tournament this weekend.

The Falcons will face teams from 3A, 4A and 5A conferences at the Thanksgiving tournament. They will play a number of teams this weekend, and then return to Benjamin Franklin for a road game next Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. The next game is at Gilbert Christian on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m.

“It’s been the same the past three years, our goal is a state championship, getting a ring,” Giger said. “That’s all we’re looking forward to. Games like this, I mean we love to get blow out wins, but we’re really just preparing ourselves for the big games. Scottsdale Christian, Valley Christian, the teams we’ll see in the playoffs.”