On Monday, Dec. 10, the Archie Williams boys varsity basketball team hosted their first home game against the Tamalpais High School Hawks. The Falcons retained a strong lead for the duration of the game and won comfortably, in a 69-46 blowout. Monday’s game set high expectations for the rest of the Falcons’ season.
“Going into the game tonight, we felt confident. I thought we were a 100 percent better team than Tam, and we showed that tonight,” said junior guard Devin Moss.
Archie Williams opened the game with strong possession and quickly put themselves in the lead with many defensive stops and blocks, and a three-pointer from junior center Alex Hamblet got the game started. Following Alex’s three-pointer, junior forward Brian Wright scored his first-ever in-game dunk to strengthen the Falcons’ lead.
The Hawks responded with two back-to-back three-pointers, but they couldn’t combat the Falcons’ offensive forces, as the first quarter ended with the Falcons leading 12-6. The second quarter opened with a shot rebounded and layed up by Brian.
A few points from Tam, followed with many steals and blocks by Archie Williams, occupied the second quarter. A pass from junior point guard Grady Stewart to Brian allowed for a buzzer beater lay up. Strong efforts from teams concluded the first half of the game in the Falcons’ favor, 38-22.
“It took a lot of work that the audience doesn’t see to win [Monday’s game]. The team is really connected from a lot of time spent together. Every single [player] has put in a ton of hard work,” said Archie Williams boys varsity basketball head coach Russel Bauer.
The Archie Williams high school gym hosted the young West Marin Sacred Heart Catholic Youth Organization basketball team for a halftime show. The gym was full of cheers as the “age or grade” battled it out on the court.
The second half of the game opened, and many points and blocks from the Falcons held the Hawks throughout the third quarter. Devin came off the bench with six straight points to surge the Falcons’ lead, and Falcon sophomore forward Kingston Weinberg scored four points and blocked two shots to add support. The third quarter concluded with the Falcons scoring 14 unanswered points, bringing the score to 62-30.
“It was a great game for us. The whole team performed fairly well, and we all came into the game really motivated,” Kingston said.
The final quarter kicked off with Falcons’ starters resting on the bench, allowing for other players on the team to stand out. Junior guard Kai Smith landed a three-pointer, and the Falcons’ defense continued to pressure the Hawks, allowing them few scoring opportunities. As the game drew to a close, the Falcons held the ball until the buzzer sounded, securing their second win of the season, with a final score of 69-46.
Brian stole the show at Monday’s game, scoring 30 points and racking up nine rebounds. The Falcons will continue with their regular season with their next game against Kennedy High School Thursday, Dec. 12 at their home gym.
