The Fountain Hills High School boys basketball team is off to a flaming-hot start, winning the first six games of the 2022-23 season. The Falcons went 4-0 in the Ben Franklin Thanksgiving Classic …
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The Fountain Hills High School boys basketball team is off to a flaming-hot start, winning the first six games of the 2022-23 season. The Falcons went 4-0 in the Ben Franklin Thanksgiving Classic this past weekend and won each game by an average of 28 points.
The Falcons beat Shadow Mountain in a 68-33 rout at home on Monday, Nov. 21. The Falcons made five three-pointers, with junior Keaton Ort making three of his six attempts, and the defense harassed the Matadors all night long.
The Falcons have 10 seniors on the roster this year and starting seniors Ty Cosman and Deisel Giger have stepped up considerably from last year. Both of them hardly played outside the fourth quarter as juniors, but both guards are crucial to the team’s success so far this year.
“We’re getting a lot more transition opportunities than we’ve had in the past just because those guys play so hard,” head coach Jeff Bonner said.
The Falcons have a deadly combination of guards and size. Ort, Giger and Cosman have handled everything thrown at them so far, and they dish it right back. Senior Luke Bloedel adds an obvious big threat down low at 6’5”, and senior Aiden Logan is an all-around threat.
“Having [Logan] as a player is very special because he can do a lot for us,” Bonner said. “Not only can he pass the ball, but he can shoot it a little bit, and he actually likes to bang in the post a little bit, so he’s a phenomenal player all around. Very solid for us.”
The Falcons easily won their first two home games against ALA – West Foothills and Shadow Mountain, but neither of those two teams had great records last year. The Falcons played better teams this past weekend, and the results were mostly the same.
The Falcons started the Ben Franklin tournament with a 70-22 win over Lake Havasu before beating Holbrook 67-31 on Friday afternoon, Nov. 25. On Saturday, the Falcons bested Gilbert Christian 66-55 and then finished the weekend with a 74-57 win over Seton Catholic.
One of the bigger wins was against Holbrook. The Roadrunners finished last season with a 25-5 record and the No. 6 ranking before losing in the 3A state semi-finals. Holbrook returned six players from last year’s team as seniors this year, but even they had no answers for the Falcons.
According to Bonner, both Holbrook and Fountain Hills played summer league and prepared in the offseason for another deep playoff run. The Falcons made quick work and led 24-12 after the first quarter.
The Falcons had a clear size advantage, and they never let Holbrook get comfortable. The Falcons had four blocks in the first quarter alone, and Bloedel finished the game with two blocks and 17 points.
Half of the 24 points in the first quarter came from Ort, and the young guard went on to score a new regular season career high against the Roadrunners. Ort scored 26 and made five three-pointers on six attempts.
“Defensively, we’re all over the place,” Ort said. “Offensively, we’re moving the ball and getting it to the right people. Making sure we have good chemistry, good teamwork and showing it on the scoreboard, too.”
Holbrook started to throw press defense at the Falcons in the second quarter, but the Falcons passed it around to find an open man almost every time. They led 47-19 at halftime and cruised to a 67-31 victory.
“The reason why we’re having the success we’re having is guys know where they’re supposed to be,” Bonner said. “Now it’s being creative out of those spots. Defensively, kind of the same thing. They know what their responsibilities are, they know where help is supposed to be coming from.”
Logan added 10 points, and Cosman and Giger each added six points against Holbrook. Senior Napherious Doka-Johnson only scored two points, but he weaved in between three defenders for his layup.
The Falcons have three away games before the new year. They played at Benjamin Franklin after press time yesterday, Tuesday, Nov. 29, and they travel to Gilbert Christian today, Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m.
Gilbert Christian showed they were capable of explosive offense when they beat Lake Havasu 101-22. The Falcons played tighter defense and beat the Knights 66-55 at a neutral location in the tournament, but the Falcons will have to deal with a hostile environment on the road.
The Falcons will take a short break from their game schedule and use it to rest and practice. They start their region schedule on the road, and they will travel to Scottsdale Christian to play on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m.
