Last Wednesday, Dec. 14, junior Keaton Ort scored 22 points and senior Luke Bloedel scored 17 in the Falcons’ 56-34 win over defending state champions Scottsdale Christian Academy. The Fountain Hills High School boys basketball team maintained its undefeated record and moved to 9-0.

The Eagles have actually won back-to-back state titles in the 2A conference, but they were no match for the Falcons last week. The Falcons jumped out to a 9-2 lead and they never slowed down.

“I think we felt super controlled and super fluid,” Bloedel said. “I feel like everything there was coming together. Everything was fitting perfectly like a puzzle piece. I think our whole team, everybody has their own little position, and we work like a well-oiled machine, especially against really good teams. The better the team, the better we play.”

The Eagles found some rhythm at the end of the first quarter and scored four points in the final two minutes. They scored another 11 points in the second quarter, but the Falcons survived the Eagles’ highest scoring quarter of the night and even gained momentum going into halftime. Bloedel attempted his first three-pointer of the season and drained it as time expired to lead 27-17.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in my guys right now,” Bloedel said. “That was honestly just an awesome game. I can’t believe it. It felt like a dream, a little bit, taking down SCA.”

Bloedel scored four points in the second half, got a block and grabbed a couple of key rebounds, but Ort started to take over the show. He scored 16 points and 12 of them came from shots inside the arc. Ort also got a block and made a three-pointer in the fourth quarter.

Seniors Deisel Giger added eight points, Aiden Logan scored five points and Ty Cosman contributed two blocks and one three-pointer. Spencer Nelson scored the final point on a free throw, and the Falcons went a combined 11/17 at the free throw line.

The only underclassmen on the team, sophomore Matthew Heaney, saw an increase in playing time. Seniors Napherious Doka-Johnson and Jack Irwin missed the game due to illness, and Heaney and senior Tory Johnson stepped up in their place.

“I care about your relationship with your teammates, I care about you communicating with your teammates, and I care about you giving maximum effort every time you touch the floor,” Falcons coach Jeff Bonner said. “Defense is an effort thing, so that ties hand in hand. [Heaney] has come a long way defensively for us, where he can stay in front of people at the varsity level.”

Heaney matured as a player over the first nine games, and Bonner has challenged him to improve defensively more than anything else. Scottsdale Christian Academy has a roster full of underclassmen, and Bonner expects them to improve before their rematch in Fountain Hills on Thursday, Feb. 2.

The Eagles were without freshman Elijah Williams, son of Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams. Bloedel and Bonner both admitted that they adjusted their game plan slightly without Williams’ 6’6” presence on the court, but only slightly. The Falcons kept their focus on their plan and not the Eagles’, and they celebrated the results after.

“Just high energy,” Bloedel said. “We walked into the locker room and everybody was just super motivated to continue the season. It gave us a really good future outlook. It really brought our hopes up for the future and it let us see that we definitely have a shot at a state championship.”

The Falcons will play in the Coyotes basketball invitational at Arizona Lutheran Academy from Wednesday, Dec. 28, to Friday, Dec. 30. They start the tournament with a match against Valley Lutheran at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 28, and they hope to keep their undefeated streak alive.

“Our goals remain the same as always, win,” Bloedel said. “We think we have a great chance of remaining undefeated throughout this tournament. I know that’s a tough goal, but we truly believe we have a shot of winning this tournament.”

After the tournament, the Falcons will play two away games at Chino Valley on Jan. 3 and at Camp Verde on Jan. 10. Then, they’ll have six home games in a row from Jan. 12 to Jan. 28. Outside of the tournament and a home matchup with Phoenix Christian on Jan. 16, every game will be with a region opponent and have an impact on the Falcons’ chances for a region title.