They must be putting something in the drinking water at Fountain Hills High School, because the Falcons have yet another state championship to add to the growing list.

This time around, the Division III crown was won by the boys basketball squad, besting Winslow in the final showdown by a score of 55-48.

Before the big game, though, the Falcons had to first fight their way through teams from Florence and Northwest Christian.

Florence

Heading into the second and final week of the state tournament, the Falcons knew they would have to keep fighting for three more rounds of tournament play if they hoped to come home with the big state trophy.

The road to the finish line began with a game against Florence, as the Falcons and the Gophers played toe-to-toe for four tight quarters of play. In the end, the Falcons inched ahead during overtime, besting their opponents by a final score of 58-54.

Head coach Matt Keating said that the Falcons went in expecting a very talented opponent in Florence, and that’s exactly what they got.

“They played an aggressive 1-3-1, which slowed down our offensive advantages,” Keating added. “We were led by Bryce Andrashie’s 25 points, Joe Wagoner’s 13, Max Giger’s nine and Teo Vargas’ 7.”

Staying strong into and out of overtime, the Falcons earned their trip to the semi-final round of the state tournament.

Northwest

Into the semifinals, the Falcons were primed to take on Northwest Christian Friday evening, Feb. 24.

The first half went back and forth, with the Falcons out-gunning Northwest 13-7 in the first quarter, then falling behind 15-9 in the second. With the game all tied up at the half, the Falcons only carried a two-point lead into the fourth quarter. Keating said the local boys managed to land plenty of free throws down the stretch, though, helping ensure the 55-43 final victory.

“Following our overtime win, we had two days to prepare for our next two opponents, though we only knew who the first would be” Keating said. “We essentially had to prepare for three teams, with our mindset being that we wanted to make it to Saturday, the championship.”

That mental preparation paid off, with Andrashie once again leading the Falcons with 15 points. Joe Wagoner added 16 to the team total with Larkin Lipps chipping in nine.

Winslow

With that victory, the Falcons were set to take on Winslow in the state championship game on Saturday, Feb. 25.

A bit tired at this point, Keating said the Falcons started out a bit sluggish, falling behind by a score of 12-8 after the first quarter. The Bulldogs managed to outscore the Falcons again in the second quarter, moving ahead 22-17.

“We were able to right the ship,” Keating said of the Falcons’ post-halftime performance. “With two steals by Teo Vargas, two layups and an ‘and one,’ we tied up the game in the first seconds of the second half.”

This gave the Falcons the momentum they needed to pull ahead, outscoring Winslow 16-12 through the third. The turned on the pressure even more in the fourth, outscoring their opponents 22-14 to claim the final 55-48 victory; good enough for the 2017 state crown.

“Hustle plays by Max Giger, Joe Wagoner and Teo Vargas helped seal the deal down the stretch,” Keating added.

In the end, the Falcons were led in scoring by Joe Wagoner with 23, Bryce Andrashie with 13 and Teo Vargas with 11.