Falcons hold on for big win over American River, 75-73

Desperately needing a win to stay alive in the Big 8 race, the Folsom Lake men asserted themselves just enough in the final minutes to come away with a narrow 2-point victory in Saturday's battle against American River at Falcon Gym.  The Falcons seized their first lead since early in the first half with eight minutes left to play, then held off a furious finish - includining 8 points scored by the Beavers in the final 18 seconds - to win by two.  The Falcons struggled with free throws in the first half, making just five of ten, but were nearly perfect from the line in the final minutes and made 17 of 21 in the second half.   Sophomore Pierce Rexford tallied a team-high 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Dane Johnson had a huge double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds plus 8 blocked shots, and freshman Joe Schneider had a breakout game with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals.

With the win, the Falcons (15-9 overall, 9-4 in Big 8) can still entertain hopes of a share of the Big 8 title.  They'll face Cosumnes River (3-7) on Monday and Sierra (6-6) on Tuesday before finishing up at Delta (12-3) on Thursday.