Thankful Falcons

James Franklin, Director of Athletics
Varsity Girls Basketball continues to dominate with undefeated record.


Varsity Cross Country 
Molly Kuzma  finished in 13th place in the Foot Locker junior girls race and was a part of the North Carolina state team which won the race.

Middle School Girls Basketball
vs. Berean Baptist Monday - December 2
The O'Neal School  37  Berean Baptist 21   
 
vs. Alpha Academy Tuesday - December 3
The O'Neal School 21  Alpha Academy  19
 
Our Lady Falcons hosted Berean Baptist for a conference matchup on December 2.  Our Lady Falcons dominated this game from start to finish with all players who dressed for the game logging substantial minutes.  Additionally, a total of five Lady Falcons scored during the contest!  Ashanti Fox led all scorers with a season high 23 points while Kayla Brown (6 points), Hope Johnson (4 points), Hannah Saye (2 points), and Meri Turner (2 points), also scored.  The Lady Falcons cruised to a 16 point victory.
 
In their second matchup in as many days, the Lady Falcons squared off against a very physical and athletic group of girls from Alpha Academy.  Our Lady Falcons established an early lead behind strong defensive play from Ashanti Fox as she logged several steals and converted them into points, enabling an 8-3 advantage at the end of the first quarter.  From that point forward, our Lady Falcons fought hard and stayed resilient against a very determined Alpha Academy team.  Despite Alpha Academy's attempts to take the lead, our Lady Falcons refused to be overpowered as they never relinquished the lead and stayed strong for a very hard fought 21 - 19 victory.  Ashanti Fox continued her prolific offensive output as she once again led all scorers with 20 points while Hannah Saye also got in the scoring column with 1 point scored.
 
The Lady Falcons next three games find them traveling to Cape Fear Christian on Friday, 6 December, and home contests against SJPII on Monday, 9 December and Lee Christian on Tuesday, 10 December.

Middle School Boys Basketball
Victories vs.
Berean Baptist Academy (2 December)
Alpha Academy (3 December)
 
Our Falcons continue to improve on a daily basis. The entire team has embraced the concept that we are more than a basketball team - we are a family that is honored to be playing for the greater O’Neal community. When someone falls, we are all there to pick them up. If someone turns the ball over to the opposing team, someone will step up on defense to get the ball back. We are all committed to covering down for each other. The team is living the mantra “I’ve got your back”.
 
The boys won two competitive home games this week against Berean Baptist Academy and Alpha Academy. The games were physical and hard fought. The boys’ execution of the offense, diligence on defense, and choice to work harder than the other team is evident. We will put our effort to the test with three games in three days starting with an away game against Cape Fear Christian Academy on Friday 6 December followed by two home games against Saint John Paul II and Lee Christian School on 9 and 10 December, respectively. Come out and join us on our path to excellence.

Varsity Girls Basketball 
11/22 Score: Game at Statesville Christian (Win 53-23)
 
The Falcons headed to the Charlotte area for a non-conference NCISAA match-up with Statesville Christian. A quick start showed the Falcons clicking on all cylinders knocking down 5 threes in the first quarter. The Falcons 3-point barrage saw them shoot 45% from the 3-point line on the night, led behind junior Kayla Jenkin’s 4 3’s (12 points, 5 rebounds). Joining Jenkin’s scoring was the two way attack of senior Hadiya Balser’s 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals and sophomore Caelan McHarney’s 14 points and 4 assists. Senior Rachel Patton held down the defensive end pulling in 10 rebounds to join her 4 points. All Falcons in uniform saw extended playing time on the night, illustrating the well-rounded and interchangeable line-ups of this year’s Falcon team. In the end, the Falcons secured the 53-23 victory.
 
11/25 Scores: Game vs. Davidson Day School (Win 39-23)
 
November 25th featured a re-match of the 2019 State Championship game pitting The O’Neal School against Davidson Day. In a back and forth affair, the first quarter saw nerves on both ends. A cold shooting night stalled the offense during the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but the Falcons stayed resilient turning up the defensive pressure and owning the boards. The Falcons used their pressure defense to create 20 turnovers creating 11 points off those turnovers on the night. Ball movement payed off in the fourth quarter, as the Falcons saw the offense open up after ball reversals leading to easy paint points. In the end, the Falcons pulled out a gritty 39-23 victory. The Falcons were led by Hadiya Balser’s 13 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Joining in the scoring was Kayla Jenkins who tallied 11 points on the evening.
 
Dec. 3rd: Scores: Game at Friendship Christian (Win 44-24)
 
Following the Thanksgiving Break, the Falcons hit the road for a non-conference NCISAA match-up with Friendship Christian. The Falcons showed no sign of rust after the break, busting out of the gates to take the 13-4 first quarter lead behind tenacious defense and rebounding. As a team, the Falcons created 16 steals along with 8 defensive deflections turning those into 16 points off turnovers on the evening. All in uniform contributed to the victory seeing significant playing time. The Falcons were led by sophomore Aaliyah Balser’s 13 points and 8 rebounds on the evening. Joining Aaliyah were Hadiya Balser with an all-around night of 14 points, 7 rebounds and 6 steals, and sharp shooter Kayla Jenkin’s 11 points.
 
The victory moves the Falcons to 7-0, as they look ahead at conference play starting at the end of the week. The Falcons head to Carolina Friends on Friday, December 6th for a 5:30pm tip to open Tri-TAC conference play.
 

Varsity Boys Basketball
The Boys basketball team continues to show improvement on the season.   These young men epitomize perseverance, drive, determination and diligence.  Their dedication in team effort is strongly displayed by performance on the court during practice, as well as games.  It is refreshing to watch their growth and development daily.
 
Just prior to Thanksgiving break the Falcons hosted maybe the best team in the state and just ran into a buzz saw. Davidson Day features two signed D1 players, a signed D2 player and a couple younger players that will be college players. In spite of the score, O'Neal did some good things against such an impressive team. 
 
After the break, the Falcons headed up to Raleigh to play Friendship Christian Academy and got a great win. O'Neal fell behind early and dug a big hole being down 22-8 after the first quarter. They fought back and began to get some momentum heading into halftime. Down 12 at the break the Falcons were able to get it tied heading into the 4th quarter and then got the lead with under 5 minutes to go. It was back and forth for a couple minutes with Friendship Christian making a big 3 pointer, just to have Jalen Lindsey come down and match the three. The Falcons ended up pulling out a 49-46 victory. It was a great team win. The win was O'Neal's 3rd consecutive road victory.
 
The Falcons play Friday night at Carolina Friends School and have a chance to match last year's win total. We return next week vs. Burlington Christian Academy and Salem Baptist on Tuesday and Friday, respectively.    




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