The Fountain Hills High School girls basketball team lost 44-37 at Valley Christian last Tuesday, Nov. 22, and moved to 1-1 on the season. Sophomore CC Smith led the team in scoring with 24 points, and sophomore Kaylee Lewis nearly had a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.

The Falcons beat Valley Christian 39-36 at home in the season opener last year, but they fell short this time. The Falcons built up a 25-8 lead at halftime last year before escaping with a close win, and this year, the Falcons were more balanced in their offensive output.

The Falcons scored 18 points in the third quarter last week, and Smith made four baskets in a row that quarter. The Falcons had six players last season and often struggled with exhaustion in the back halves of games, but they have more players this year and have avoided second-half implosions so far this year.

“That was a plus, I’m very satisfied with the play in the third quarter,” head coach Amanda Baca said. “If we can take that and build upon it a little more and have some consistency, I think we’ll be okay.”

The Falcons were behind 11-8 after the first quarter, but they only scored one point in the second quarter and fell behind 19-9 at the half. Freshman players had to play more than expected in the second quarter after senior Titleist Patrick hurt her wrist going for a steal that quarter.

“I think that our first and second quarters, we played very tight, played timid,” Baca said. “Some of the freshmen came out with a little less confidence but we couldn’t get an offensive flow until the third quarter and that really hurt us.”

Patrick added two points before sitting down in her first game of the season. LJ Holland, the Falcons’ only other senior, made her presence felt defensively with three steals and two blocks, but she failed to add any points offensively.

The Falcons struggled with accuracy from deep, making only one three-pointer. They found success down low and with free throws, scoring 14 points in the paint and 14 points from the free throw line. Smith and Lewis split the made free throws with seven each.

The Falcons were clean defenders, too, and Valley Christian only made two free throw attempts. As the game went on, the young Falcons adjusted to the pressure, and they outscored the Trojans 28-25 in the second half.

“We saw a lot more defensive pressure than the previous game, so they kind of backed up a little bit and were a little more timid,” Baca said. “But as the game went on, and they got a little more comfortable with that pressure, they started giving some pressure back. They started playing a little more aggressive, and I think that will just come with experience.”

The Falcons had eight eligible players at Valley Christian. A ninth player, freshman Taleigha Bonnaha, recently got medical clearance to play, and she will be a helpful addition when she finally steps on the court.

Bonnaha was the primary ball handler for the middle school team that went 12-0 and won a state championship last year. She’s a club basketball player, and her athleticism is undeniable. During the powder puff flag football game during homecoming week, Bonnaha scored nearly every touchdown for the freshmen and almost singlehandedly beat the senior class.

One change for Bonnaha ahead of her first varsity game, whenever she does play, will be preparation. Baca said her middle school team only watched film before their championship game, but the high school team watches film constantly to learn from their mistakes and plan for their opponents.

“On Monday, we’ll take the first 30 to 40 minutes and watch my breakdown and they’ll take notes,” Baca said. “We’ll talk about free throws, and we’ll talk about the defensive changes we need to do.”

The Falcons have two games this week. They played at Benjamin Franklin yesterday, Tuesday, Nov. 29, and they host Gilbert Christian tonight, Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 5:30 p.m.

The Falcons will play one more home game at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8, and then they have several road trips planned. The Falcons start the region schedule at Scottsdale Christian on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 5:30 p.m., and they will play in two tournaments over winter break as well.