Falcons Nest - January 5

James Franklin, Athletic Director
Falcons return strong from winter break.
Varsity Girls Basketball
W, 66-21 
The Lady Falcons Varsity basketball team closed out the pre-winter break season with a stellar performance, clinching a decisive win against The Trinity School of Durham & Chapel Hill on December 15th. This victory marked the 12th consecutive triumph for the Lady Falcons, setting an impressive winning streak. 
Eager to compete at a higher level, the Lady Falcons headed into the winter break with the Battle in the Bull Holiday Invitational, held from December 27th - 29th. Despite facing intense competition in three closely contested games, the Lady Falcons demonstrated their mettle. 

W, 60-46
 
Their first tournament game included a commendable victory against the #5 team in the DC area, Jackson Reed High School.  

W, 48-44
 
The team continued their winning streak with a standout performance against Western Alamance, a formidable school from North Carolina. In this very close game, the Lady Falcons showed their ability to maintain composure under pressure and be strategic in their game play.  

L, 46-76
 
The Lady Falcons faced a tough challenge in their only loss against Elizabeth Seton High School, ranked 4th in Maryland's competitive basketball arena. The Lady Falcons received the Runners Up trophy for the tournament and Ashanti Fox was named for the All-Tournament Team.  

Reflecting on the Christmas Tournament, the Lady Falcons expressed gratitude for the invaluable experience gained. The fierce competition tested their limits, and they gave their all on the court. As they enter the second half of the season, the team is thrilled about the growth they have displayed and potential they possess. 
 

W, 58-12
 
Hitting the ground running, the Lady Falcons hit the road on their first day back in the classroom. They came away with a solid win against Cary Christian. The team and coaches are excited for the second half of their season.  
 
Middle School A Boys Basketball 
L, 45-18 
The Falcons were busy over the lengthy holiday break. Traveling to Snow Hill, North Carolina, the Falcons would clash for a Holiday tournament. The Falcons started the early morning against a great defensive Farmville Middle Schooling team. Although the Falcons fought hard the whole game, the shots weren’t falling which lead to the team coming up short to victory. Leading the scoring was Jackson Mullis (4 Points), Christian Lyles (4 Points), Jacob Lindsey (2 Points), Caleb Jones (2 Points), Sam Taylor (2 Points) and Ford Kuester (2 Points). 

W, 40-35
 
After regrouping from the Farmville loss, the Falcons came out hot in their second tournament game. There was a great turn in the offensive play and the Falcons started making great shots. The Falcons played well offensively and defensively to close out with a great victory against the Warriors. Leading the Falcons were Jacob Lindsey (12 Points), Jackson Mullis (9 Points), Ford Kuester (7 Points), Jordan Cole (4 Points), Christian Baker (4 Points), Caleb Jones (2 Points), and Gabe Marrero ( 2 Points). The Falcons had a great day finishing 1-1 for the tournament and third overall. Great Job Falcons!  
 
Middle School Swimming 
Before Winter break, O'Neal competed against Cary Christian School on December 14th. The girls lost by a mere 5 points, but the boys edged out the Knights by 8 points.  There were several highlights of the night: 
 
PRs in 50yd Free: Julia Gamez, Sophia Graziano, Dahlia Cloninger, and Platon Korobko 
PRs in 100yd Free: Heather Anton-Botengan, Sophia Graziano, Dahlia Cloninger, Katharina Davis, Adam Storr, Sawyer Cartwright, and Eli Williams 
PRs in 100yd Breaststroke-Julia Gamez and Olivia Garcia 
Ella Marino placed 4th in both the 500-yard freestyle (her first time swimming the event) and 100-yard Breaststroke with a new PR. 
Harrison O'Connor placed 5th in the 100-yard Backstroke! 
In addition to all the new personal best times, we had an all MS 200-yard free relay for both the girls’ (Julia Gamez, Heather Anton-Botengan, Olivia Garcia and Ella Marino) and boys’ (Platon Korobko, Logan Beck, Ryan Ulitenok) teams. 
As the next weeks will be used for training, the teams aim for new PRs and new swimmers trying different events at the next meet on January 18th.  GO FALCONS!!  LET'S GO O'NEAL! 
 
Varsity Swimming 
The varsity swim team had a meet versus Cary Christian before the Winter break. The girls’ team lost by 5 points, but the boys' team won by 8 points.  The team will be working for the next two weeks preparing for their final home and Senior night on January 18th. Here are some highlights from the meet: 
Sam Schmitz won the 200 free and 100 fly and John Shepherd won both the 100 free [with a best time] and 100 back. Andrew Davis won the 50 free. Nathan Reifenstahl went best time in the 500 free placing 2nd. 
For the girls, Micheala Stone won the 50 free and Lauren Hobbs remains undefeated in the 100 breaststroke. Morgan Lewis qualified for the state meet the first time she swam the 500 free and Jordin Reed qualified for the state meet in the 200 freestyle and also won the 100 freestyle.  
 
  
DAY
DATE
OPPONENT
SPORT
H/A
EVENT TIME
MON
1/8/2024
Berean Baptist
MS GBKB
AWAY
4:00 PM
MON
1/8/2024
Berean Baptist
MS BBKB
AWAY
5:15 PM
TUE
1/9/2024
Berean Baptist
GBKB
HOME
5:00 PM
TUE
1/9/2024
Berean Baptist
VBBKB
HOME
7:00 PM
WED
1/10/2024
Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill
MS B Girls
HOME
4:00 PM
WED
1/10/2024
Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill
MS B Boys
HOME
5:15 PM
THU
1/11/2024
Forsyth Country Day School
GBKB
AWAY
4:00 PM
THU
1/11/2024
Village Christian
MS GBKB
AWAY
3:30 PM
THU
1/11/2024
Village Christian
MS BBKB
AWAY
4:45 PM
 
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