Falcons Nest

Laura Jackson
The Falcons end regular season play on a high note with thrilling victories for both middle school girls and boys basketball teams. Varsity girls swimming win the Tri-Tac conference championship! The athletic department recognizes the contributions of senior Hannah Burns over her outstanding varsity swimming career.
Senior Athlete Spotlight  

The athletics department would like to extend congratulations to our senior student-athletes. The department is very proud of their accomplishments and the bright futures ahead of them. This week we honor 
Hannah Burns with a spotlight on her career as an O’Neal athlete. 

Hannah Burns
, Varsity Swimming  

Quick Facts about 
Hannah 
 
Number of years at O’Neal: 11  
 
Sports played at O’Neal:  Swimming, Middle School Soccer, Varsity Cross Country (mgr) 
 
College or University she plans to or wants to attendBoston University, William and Mary, University of Pittsburg 
 
Major or preferred course of study: Communications, Media/Film, Theater 
 
Favorite quote: “I have no idea what I’m doing but I know I do it really, really well.” - Andy Dwyer, “Parks and Recreation”  
 
Best O’Neal Athletics memory: Breaking our own state record in the 4 x 100-yard freestyle relay. 
 
News from Athletics 

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” -Napoleon Hill 
 

Varsity Boys Basketball
 

The Falcons were on the road Tuesday night against a very good Burlington Christian Academy.  After having a big 2
nd quarter, Burlington Christian cruised to victory. The Falcons had a strong second half, with freshman Patrick Reaves scoring a significant 16 points.  The Falcons look to build some confidence with one regular season game left on Friday, February 1st at Tri-Tac Conference leader Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill, with postseason tournaments beginning next week. O'Neal will play Tuesday night on the road, but the opponent is yet to be determined.   
 
 
Varsity Girls Basketball 

The Lady Falcons hit the road for a strong conference win on Tuesday night over Burlington Christian Academy. After a slow start, the Falcons used their high tempo transition offense to spark a run of 24 points in the 3
rd quarter. Freshmen Caelan McHarney tallied 11 assists on the night to join her 4 points, leading the Falcon offense with precision and pace. The Falcons second-half shooting propelled them to the 62-24 victory. The Falcons move to 19-3 overall and 11-0 in Tri-TAC conference play. 
  
Friday night the Falcons look to finish off their regular season undefeated as they travel to Durham to take on the Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill. The game time is set for 5:00 PM. 
 
Varsity Cheerleading  

The varsity cheer squad 
spent this week working on a new dynamic halftime routine in preparation for postseason competitions for basketball beginning next week. 

Varsity Swimming
 

Lead by Seniors, Hannah Burns, Lauren Millard, and Sierra Huffman, the girls swim team became conference champions, beating rival team Trinity Academy of Durham and Chapel Hill Tuesday Night. Boys team swim came in second place, outscoring American Hebrew Academy and Trinity Academy of Raleigh for the first time this season. The team is looking forward to the State Championship swim meet on 
February 11th. 

Middle School Boys Basketball
 

It was a busy week for the Middle School Boys Basketball team. They had three home games and three victories to finish the season on a high note. The Falcons acquired their first win of the week on Monday against Freedom Christian by a score of 42-32. Eighth-grader Phillip Hancock led the way with 16 points while eighth-grader Marshall Landry and sixth grader Penn Morris chipped in 10 and 9 points, respectively. Next up was Sandhills Classical Christian on Tuesday. The 52-15 victory was a great team effort with many players contributing. Finally, Thursday saw a defensive struggle against Grace Sanford. Many lead changes and ties ultimately led to key free throws down the stretch as O'Neal pulled away in the final few minutes. The final score was 31-23. It was an exciting finish to the Middle School season. The team ended with an overall record of 12-4 and 7-4 in conference play.
 

Middle School Girls Basketball
 

The Middle School Girls' Basketball Team capped off their regular season with a thrilling 14-12 home victory Thursday night against Grace Christian. Initially down 9-0, the Falcons mounted a second half comeback and in a raucous Tate Gym. In the final seconds of the game, with the score tied 12-12, seventh grader Hannah Saye sealed the victory with a clutch jumper from the wing as time expired. Eighth graders Alyssa Furie and Brooklyn Adams played a full 24-minute game for the Falcons and played integral roles in not only the execution of the final play but the entire game. Seventh-grader Kayla Brown, and sixth-graders Mia Millard and Michaela Stone, each brought a level of defensive intensity that changed the course of the game.  
 
The win, which came on the back of the recent news that the girls earned the 4th seed in the SEMSAC Conference playoffs, advanced the girls to 7-5 in regular season play. On Monday, February 4th, the team travels to Fayetteville to face the 1-seed Village Christian. Tip-off is at 4:30 PM.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The O'Neal School admits students of any race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.