The Fountain Hills High School girls basketball team found its rhythm late and fell on the road to Scottsdale Christian Academy 36-24 last Wednesday, Dec. 14. The Falcons averaged over 41 points per game through their first five games, but they struggled on offense and only scored four points in the first half of this outing.

“Their defense wasn’t super smothering, it was good but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle,” Falcons head coach Amanda Baca said. “We just didn’t come ready to go. We scored four points in the first half. We held them to 13. I was very proud of our defense, but you can’t win a game when you score four points in the half, and still we gave ourselves a chance.”

The Falcons got their first points from senior Titleist Patrick when she passed the ball to sophomore Kaylee Lewis and got it right back on a cut to the basket. Patrick’s layup made it 3-2 after just over two minutes and the Falcons would go scoreless through the rest of the opening quarter.

The Falcons coughed up a turnover right before the end of the first quarter, and sophomore CC Smith chased down the last-second layup chance and blocked it from behind. Then another Scottsdale Christian player grabbed the offensive rebound and put it in to make it 8-2 with a buzzer beater.

“Everything was going the wrong way,” Baca said. “We were timid to shoot the ball. Our freshman, I think, felt a little bit of pressure, and didn’t respond well in the first half. The second half was a different story, but we did not look in sync. We didn’t have any flow.”

The Falcons had 12 turnovers in the first half and 19 overall, but they also forced their fair share of turnovers on defense. Senior LJ Holland scored the only points in the second quarter off a steal and fast break to the basket, and she finished with two steals and two points.

The Falcons were down 13-4 at halftime and Scottsdale Christian did not let up. They scored two three-pointers to start the third quarter and Baca had to call a timeout down 19-4. Smith got her first two points after the timeout, and Patrick would hit a three of her own to make it 21-9 halfway through the third.

Patrick and Smith each scored eight points in the second half and Patrick led the team with 10. The two were a combined five of eight from the free throw line, and the Falcons made seven out of their 12 total attempts.

“CC started going to the bucket and shooting some mid-range jumpers as opposed to trying to take it all the way in like she usually does,” Baca said. “They had two people of pretty good size that just shut us down inside, so we had to modify what she's used to doing. She hit a couple floaters…Stuff started falling, and we got a little bit more in sync.”

Lewis and fellow sophomore Shania Rivera each contributed two points and several rebounds in the post. They were shorter than the Scottsdale Christian centers, but they pushed through and boxed out better than they had in previous games.

Eight of the 10 Falcons are underclassmen, and none of the eligible freshmen were the primary ball handlers in middle school. One of the middle school primary ball handlers, freshman Taleigha Bonnaha, will receive another MRI on Dec. 30 before her status for the rest of the season is determined.

Time and experience will cover most of the needed improvements for the young Falcon squad, but Baca thinks she can accelerate the growing process by getting more specific in their individual duties on the court.

Rivera was a prime example of playing her role last Wednesday. She made both her free throw attempts and had anywhere from seven to 10 rebounds, according to Baca. Freshmen Zoe Jagodzinski, Kynzi Schaunaman and Abisia Scaife all contributed rebounds and defense, but their lack of varsity experience showed when upperclassmen defenders pressured them.

“I think everybody needs to get a little more comfortable handling the ball,” Baca said. “I think we need to start trusting each other a little bit more and not be afraid to make a pass to someone who’s not [Smith] and not be afraid to shoot the ball.”

The Falcons dropped to 3-3 before winter break, and they hope to bounce back in the Epic Tourneys New Years Classic. The Falcons will compete at Chandler Prep from Wednesday, Dec. 28, to Friday, Dec. 30, and they return to their normal schedule with a road game at Chino Valley on Tuesday, Jan. 3.