Falcons End Four-Game Slide With Win Against Modesto
Folsom, CA – Determined to get their first Big-8 Conference win, the Falcons (5-12, 1-4 Big-8) headed to Modesto for their first meeting against the Pirates (4-14, 1-5 Big-8) this season. Led by sophomore forward, Dane Johnson, the Falcons were able to execute their gameplan and defeat the Pirates by five points (57-52).
The Falcons were hot coming out of the gate, hitting their first two shots, and going up 5-0, but then quickly gave up three consecutive baskets, following an early Pirates' timeout. "It was a back-and-forth," said Head Coach, Bill Benford when asked about the first half. "No one really took control of the game at any point, but we were able to play a lot of guys in order to get them in the flow of the game," continued Benford. The Falcons went into halftime tied 29-29.
Coming out of the break, the Falcons' offense woke up and were able to take control of the game. At one point accumulating a 12-point lead, with 4 minutes left in the game. At that point, the Pirates' offensive began knocking down shots and were able to cut the lead to single digits. But the Falcons' success from the free throw line (73.7%) secured the victory.
The Falcons had a distributed attack, with 9-of-10 players in the points column. Sophomore guard, Dane Johnson led the team with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
The Falcons now turn their attention to cross-town rivals, American River College (4-3, 3-3 Big-8) on Thursday, January 12th at 5:30 pm as they continue this 3-game stretch on the road. The Falcon's next home game is on Tuesday, January 17th against Sierra College (8-9, 2-3 Big-8) at 5:30 pm.