BY PETE MOHR | DECEMBER 22, 2010
Fourth quarter fresh legs, cool heads propel 60-52 win over Poston Butte
Head Coach Tyler Dummett’s victory strategy: “Run, run, run! You’ll wear them out!”
Crucial point-getters: When the Broncos “lost their cool,” Mike Rabanni (l.) kept his, nailing four straight three throws that vaulted the Falcons into a ten-point lead with less than two minutes to play. Austin Horton, returning from an ankle injury that had sidelined him before Thanksgiving, scored on two critical back-to-back fast breaks that pulled the Falcs to 40-42 at the end of three periods. Rabanni’s 12 points led all Falcon scorers. Horton (10) and Tri-Capt.Casey Perrin (10) also were in double figures. Photos By Pete Mohr
Then the Broncs, on one offensive rebound disaster, “lost their cool” – a foul, an intentional foul, and two “Ts” (one on Poston Coach Noel Nofziger) sent Rabanni to the line shooting six free throws. He nailed the first four, putting the Falcons up by ten. Game over.
Postgame, Coach Dummett to Sonoran News: “This may have been our worst shooting night. We really struggled behind the arc. At the start of the 4th period, we could tell the Broncos were tiring, and we took advantage of that.” In addition to his praise for Rabanni and Horton, Coach Dummett gave Jack Bennett high marks for defensing the Broncos’ superstar, 6’ 9” Maurice Kirby, who’s already made a verbal commitment to ASU.
Basketball braintrust: Head Basketball Coach Tyler Dummett (far r.) with his staff: (l-r) Freshman Coach Austin Smith, JV Coach Keith Perrin; Varsity Assistant Coach Jamaal Scott. Not available for photo: Program Assistant Kyle Diemer [CSHS ‘06]. Falcon Basketball registered their third consecutive “sweep” last Friday night. Congratulations on a strong start, gentlemen.
Pregame, Coach Dummett disclosed to this writer that he’d named senior Max Gersh a tri-captain. Can a Falcon sports historian confirm if Max is the first varsity athlete to be both a football and basketball captain? Dirk Walker, CSHS ‘00, maybe? Trivia question aside, congratulations, Max.
So now the ‘Birds, after sleepwalking through three games at Paradise Valley’s Thanksgiving tournament, have gotten off the deck to go an undefeated 5-0 in regular season play.
Merry Christmas! Coach. Good luck in the “Great Desert Shootout.”
BY PETE MOHR | DECEMBER 22, 2010
Cactus Shadows welcomes 20 teams to Great Desert Shootout, Dec. 28-30
Falcon’ 1st opponent: Buckeye, Dec. 28, Blue Gym, 2:30 p.m.
CSHS – Athletic Director Rick Swearengin and Head Basketball Coach jointly announced the 20-team field that will compete in the annual Great Desert Shootout:
Valley Lutheran North Pointe Prep
S.D. O’Connor La Joya
Queen Creek Sierra Linda
Camp Verde Tempe
Arcadia Westview
Casa Grande Cibola
Santa Rita J.L. Combs
Buckeye CSHS
Kofa Nogales
Coconino Canyon del Oro
In their opening game against Buckeye, Falcons will be out to avenge their Nov. 27 loss (72-80) to the Hawks, who helped themselves to 15 “threes” at the expense of a ‘Birds defense that appeared to still be digesting their Thanksgiving dinner. The Hawks will encounter a different Falcon team, one that hasn’t lost since their Buckeye “wake-up call.”
Falcon Basketball thanks the Men’s Athletic Club who will again serve up Hospitality Room eats and relaxation to coaches and officials.
C’mon sports fans! Break out of your “Bowls Boredom” with some exciting high school basketball. Who knows? The HomeBirds just might fly away with the Tournament title.
(For the full schedule visit: www.ccusd93.org/education/school/school.php?sectionid=11)
