The Faith Bible Falcons went into Saturday's game determined to avenge their 77-29 loss to the Knappa Loggers back in early January. Knappa entered the game looking to win the 19th straight game and retain their 2nd-best active winning streak in Oregon (1A Crane has 21 straight wins).
The Northwest League is crowded with four different teams that have a shot at winning the regular season league title, and Faith Bible hoped to make good on their second shot at the Loggers. Even with a loss, the crowded field means that tie breaks to decide league playoff seeding could come down to point differentials adding another element to the game.
The Falcons played calm and collected the entire first half, "We played them the exact same way [as earlier this year]" Falcon's coach Brent Masterson said after the game. This time the strategy worked well for two quarters.
The Falcon's controlled the pace for most of the first two quarters and kept Knappa's offense in check, leading to a 26-26 tie at the half. But coming out of the break, Knappa took the lead quickly and did not look back en route a 70-52 win.
The Logger's press succeeded in speeding up the pace of the game and led Knappa to a 20-point third quarter. "Knappa took it to the next level, and we didn't," Masterson said of the second half. Knappa's coach Paul Isom reflected similarly on the game, "The guys have a good ability to turn it [the intensity] up."
Knappa would add another 23 points in the final quarter.
The win highlighted Knappa's strength in depth, "We only had eight guys, but that doesn't really affect us," Knappa senior Logan Morrill stated after the game.
Four of the Loggers in the regular rotation were unavailable for the game, forcing players further down the depth chart to contribute key minutes. Two of these standout players were Trever Ogier who scored 8 points and Mark Miller who scored 5.
Morrill led all scorers with 16 points despite constantly being double and triple-teamed all game, "You just need to look for your teammates and sometimes you also need to power through."
Senior Matthew Fachiol led the Falcons with 13 points and Landon Young added 11 points.
Although the Falcons came up short, there is a lot to be proud of. Their trust and discipline is amazing as well as their resiliency. They are in a good position to make a playoff run. Their performance should be commended.
Knappa tested itself with three games in three nights and proved that it has the depth needed for the playoffs.
There is no rest for either team after the game who both have four games next week.
Knappa takes on Nestucca on the road on Monday before playing the Northwest League #2 Mannahouse Christian on Wednesday and Saturday with a game against Gaston on Friday.
Faith Bible plays Portland Christian on Monday and Tuesday before facing Nestucca on Wednesday and finishing the week against Mannahouse on Friday.
Comments