The Fountain Hills High School boys basketball team improved to 19-0 and won three games last week. Junior Keaton Ort scored 30 points in the 67-57 win over Phoenix Christian (14-3) on Monday, Jan. 16, and Ort scored 25 in the second half.

The Falcons were tied 22-22 with Phoenix Christian at halftime, and both teams played more aggressive in the second half. Ort made four three-pointers in the second half, and senior Aiden Logan scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half.

“First half, I was shooting all the shots I usually take,” Ort said. “Same exact shots. Everyone trusts me throughout the whole game, no matter the score, time or possession…Usually when I’m not hitting my shots, I mainly focus on defense and try to get me in the game defensively and attack the rim a little more to get rhythm back. I started playing better defense, got hit in the face, got my ankle hit on a three, and it kind of woke me up.”

Phoenix Christian, No. 5 in 2A, is the best team Fountain Hills has played in 2023, and their next big challenge will come on Thursday, Feb. 2, when the Falcons host No. 9 Scottsdale Christian Academy.

“They’re one of the best 2A teams in Arizona,” Ort said. “Like Valley [Christian], they’re quick, they can shoot, they’re athletic, an all-around great team, so playing a team like that gets us ready for playoffs and helps us see what we’re all about.”

The Falcons did take a big loss in their win over the Cougars. Senior Ty Cosman, a team minded defensive player, went down with injury, and missed the next two games. Fellow senior Deisel Giger called Cosman his “partner in crime,” and had to adjust his mindset in the 54-32 win over Northwest Christian (7-11) on Wednesday, Jan. 18.

“I knew for sure I couldn’t pick up any early fouls, because we just need to have defenders in the game,” Giger said. “Other than that, just play hard, try to make up for what we’re losing with Tyler.”

Senior Napherious Doka-Johnson started in place of Cosman and finished with 12 points on Monday and six against Northwest Christian. Doka-Johnson had been the primary backup for senior center Luke Bloedel, so senior Jack Ervin has also seen more minutes when they are in foul trouble. Senior Casey Osborne also played some significant minutes on Wednesday and Friday in place of Cosman.

Though Ervin doesn’t have as many repetitions on the court as everyone else, he was still the recipient of a no-look pass from Logan while cutting to the basket for a layup. Logan put on a show each home game with his passing and scoring, and his teammates have come to expect his laser passes anywhere on the court.

“We’re just trying to play as a team, and Aiden has a great basketball mind,” Giger said. “He can do those types of passes and make them work. We love it, I mean everyone loves it, but you always have to have your hands ready. You might get hit in the face with a pass if you’re not looking.”

Ort led the Falcons with 17 on Wednesday, and 12 came in the second half. Logan had 14 points, and Bloedel had nine points. Bloedel had six points matched up with an athletic center that could dunk on Monday, and he had his best game of the week against Bourgade Catholic (5-6) on Saturday, Jan. 21. Bloedel tied Ort for the lead with 15 points.

The Falcons would win 63-37, but they struggled to take a lead early. They only led 12-10 after the first quarter and were tied 14-14 two minutes into the second. Once sophomore Matthew Heaney, took a charge on defense, the Falcons turned it up a notch and led 26-17 at halftime.

“It was a weird feeling to the game,” head coach Jeff Bonner said. “We have multiple guys that keep our heart beating, and Tyler Cosman is definitely one of those guys…Some of the other guys stepping up like they have been, [Heaney] taking a huge charge, that’s special for us. That’s something you can’t expect a sophomore to do every time, especially if he hasn’t been doing it throughout the year.”

Behind Ort and Bloedel, Logan scored 10 on Saturday, and Giger added seven. Heaney and fellow sophomore Sam Barnard scored four points each, and seniors Spencer Nelson, Doka-Johnson and Ervin all scored two points.

The Falcons hosted Chino Valley after press time yesterday, Tuesday, Jan. 24, and they host Camp Verde at 7 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Fort McDowell Rec Center. They travel to Wickenburg next Tuesday, Jan. 31, and play at 7 p.m.

Controversy

During Saturday's game with Bourgade Catholic, there was a controversial moment late in the game when the referees stopped play to address the crowd.

“The officials decided to remove the student section for their behavior,” according to Superintendent Dr. Cain Jagodzinski, and that incident is being investigated.

There was another incident involving the Bourgade Catholic locker rooms originally thought to be related, but it is not what it first appeared.

Security footage showed students entering the locker room during the game and there are reports of vandalism taking place, but Jagodzinski confirmed with Bourgade Catholic administration on Monday, Jan. 23, that those students belonged to Bourgade Catholic, and Fountain Hills students were not responsible.

Jagodzinski is working with Bourgade Catholic and the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) to verify what happened last Saturday. He said it is a privilege for students to attend games, and appropriate actions will be taken if any of their students are found responsible.