On Thursday, Dec. 11, the Archie Williams boys varsity basketball team faced the Skyline High School Titans in the first round of the 59th annual Red Brown Invitational tournament. Archie Williams looked to extend their undefeated start to the season, and they did so with a commanding 60-46 win, improving their record to 6-0 and moving on to the next round of the tournament.

The Falcons took flight in the first few minutes of the game, with senior Brian Wright leading the formation with an assertive fastbreak slam dunk early on in the first quarter and a barrage of layups to accompany it. However, the Titans fought back and kept the score close, closing the gap to only three points at the end of the first.

The Titans started the second half strong, coming back to eventually take the lead by five in the fifth minute of the second quarter, assisted by a three-minute-long scoring drought from the Falcons. Led by the efforts of senior James Butler, the Falcons took back the lead 25-24 in the latter end of the first half. A three-pointer by senior Grady Stewart sealed the team’s success with ten seconds remaining in the half.

“I think we worked on our bounce-back ability this game. Personally, I started off strong with 8 points in a row and a dunk, and then I missed my next four shots, you know, it just happens. But I think I’m gaining resiliency and just sticking with it, and staying confident,” Brian said.

Archie Williams took over in the third quarter, scoring eleven points in the first three minutes, and extending their lead to thirteen points. James had multiple steals and layups down the line, contributing to the Falcons’ success. The Falcons ended the third quarter up 52-33, growing their lead sixfold from the half to the end of the third. Head Coach Mike Clagget spoke about how the entire team contributed. 

“[There are] a few guys, [like] Grady Stewart, who I don’t think had the biggest scoring game, but he’s our floor general, creates for others, rebounds well, and defends well. Devin Moss is very similar. Gabe Cerio is very similar. A lot of those guys do things that don’t show up in rebounds and assists. We do try to applaud them in practice and on film, and we have to keep doing that,” Clagget said.

In the fourth quarter, Skyline held its own without letting the gap grow. Nonetheless, Archie Williams’ superior ball movement and a few tough buckets from James shut the door on the Titans’ short-lived comeback, ending in a final score of 60-46. Even though the outcome was positive, the team recognizes the improvements they need to make in their other matchups as the season continues.

“We can’t play down to [the other team’s] level. And, I think we’re a much better team, but we didn’t prove that today. Even though we won, we gained a lot from this game, and know what to improve upon,” said sophomore Dexter Beers. 

Archie Williams looked to advance to the title round of the Red Brown Invitational, but narrowly lost to Maria Carrillo High School on Friday, Dec. 12, 52-53 in a hard-fought game that came down to the wire.