Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Warrior point guard Jacob Oatman charges by an Escondido defender. Shane Gibson photos
Fallbrook's Kobe Stallings dribbles the ball up court during the Warriors' game against Escondido, Jan. 17.
Fallbrook's Brandon Stehlik takes a 3-point shot during the Warriors' varsity boys basketball game against Escondido, Jan. 17.
Warrior Jack Grantham shoots a free throw during Fallbrook's game against Escondido.
Fallbrook High's Kobe Stallings scores on a layup against Escondido. The visiting Cougars edged the Warriors 59-56 in the Jan. 17 league game at the Fallbrook gym.
Warrior Jonathan Ledenbach battles Escondido's defense while putting up a shot.
Warrior Jacob Oatman protects the ball and searches for an open teammate during Fallbrook's varsity basketball game against Escondido.
Warrior Jonathan Ledenbach battles for the rebound against an Escondido opponent, Jan. 17.
Fallbrook's Jimmy Johnson shoots a 3-pointer against Escondido.
Natalie Weber
Writer/Intern
The Fallbrook High boys varsity basketball team played a close game against Escondido High School Jan. 17 at the Fallbrook gym.
The teams were quite evenly matched in terms of size, which made for an exciting game. Escondido was the first to score and maintained a lead, but the Fallbrook team closed the gap with two three-point shots in the first quarter.
By the end of the first half Fallbrook was down one point, 26-25.
The game picked up in the second half as both teams more than doubled their scores. By the end of the third quarter, it was still anyone's game, withe Cougars leading the Warriors 36-35.
The energy felt by those in the gym – from players to fans – spiked dramatically in the final quarter. Both sides were taking more and more shots, and played with a much fiercer aggression that resulted in considerably more foul shots than the prior three quarters.
The lead constantly switched between Fallbrook and Escondido, but in the last two minutes, there were more fouls called against Fallbrook, which resulted in successful free throws for Escondido. Those shots and a few missed by Fallbrook allowed Escondido to edge ahead.
Fallbrook battled with determination, but fell just short as Escondido prevailed 59-56.
Fallbrook's record fell to 6-12 but the boys are looking to improve their record as the season persists by "improving ball movement and limiting turnovers," said varsity player Jimmy Johnson.
League play has started and the team is practicing more intensely to take on their biggest competitor – Ramona. Fallbrook has been working hard to ready themselves for playing against Ramona and other tough teams in their league.
"By learning from mistakes in previous games and building off of each player's individual talents, we'll hopefully be ready to go against them," said Johnson.
Varsity co-captain Jacob Oatman explained his role in the team's preparation. "I motivate my team to work hard by working hard myself and leading them by example," said Oatman.
Despite the tough loss to Escondido, the season still shows promise for the boys as Oatman expressed when he stated, "There are a lot of things to look forward to this season. I'm looking forward to a possible playoff push and playing hard and working hard with my boys."
The Warriors bounced back from the Jan. 17 defeat with a convincing 59-39 victory over Valley Center on Jan. 20.
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