On Friday, Jan. 31, the Archie Williams boys varsity basketball team took on the San Rafael High School Bulldogs at home for their fourth Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) game of the season. The Falcons looked to continue their five-game win streak after their dominant win against Novato Jan. 28. Archie Williams started off strong and continued to grow their lead throughout the game, resulting in a comfortable win for them with a final score of 67-52.
The Falcons got off to a hot start, winning the tip-off and quickly scoring a three-point shot in the first minute by junior Grady Stewart. More three-pointers quickly followed from Archie Williams juniors James Butler in the third minute and Ephraim Sohn in the fifth minute. The Bulldogs countered Archie Williams’ impressive start with shots of their own, but the Falcons were able to maintain their lead, ending the first quarter 14-9.
“We’ve been really concentrating on taking things one play at a time and getting a little bit more detail-oriented, which I thought we did. I thought we took another step forward today,” said Archie Williams head coach Russell Bauer.
Archie Williams didn’t stop in the second quarter and began to extend their lead with another set of three-pointers from James and senior Dante Stallone. With the score at 23-15, the two teams continued to battle with several points scored back and forth. Archie Williams closed out the first half with another three-pointer from Dante and a dominant 39-22 lead over the Bulldogs.
“I think we played solid. We got sped up at times, but as the game went on, we’re able to trust each other and get better shots and just play with confidence,” James said.
As the third quarter began, the Bulldogs built up momentum, scoring multiple three-point shots, shortening the Falcon’s lead. Although unable to close the gap, San Rafael continued to score several points, bringing the score to 39-30.
“We came out hot; we went up 17 points at halftime, but in the third quarter, they came back and struck. But we stayed resilient, hit our shots, and pulled away,” Grady said.
Archie Williams started off the fourth quarter strong and continued to grow their lead well into the last minute of the game. The Falcons were able to recover from San Rafael’s efforts and regained their strong advantage with a score of 58-50. The Archie Williams defense stayed strong, denying multiple attempts from the Bulldogs, and a quick counterattack from sophomore Kingston Weinberg ended the game with a final score of 67-52.
The Falcons are looking forward to their last MCAL games on Tuesday, Feb. 4 against Tamalpais High School and later Redwood. Shortly after, MCAL playoffs will begin, which they have high hopes for after falling short to Redwood last season.
“I feel like if these boys can come together and play for each other, then the sky’s the limit,” Bauer said.
