Falcons making progress

CADE -- The final score might not show it, nor do continued free throw shooting troubles, but the ESA Falcons have shown a great deal of progress this year, coach Mike Bourgeois said Friday after his team dropped a 65-51 non-district decision to Fairview.

Fairview broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Falcons 15-6 after building a 35-27 halftime lead. A huge free-throw shooting disparity helped the Panthers (21-5) hold off ESA in the fourth quarter. Fairview hit 83 percent of its foul shots (19 of 23), while ESA hit only five of 15 (33 percent).

“Free throws have killed us all year,” said Bourgeois. “We’re a work in progress this year because we’re so young. Part of that growth process is learning you have to get in the gym and work outside of practice.”

Still, the Falcons are making progress, he said.

“Where we’ve gotten from October to here has been huge,” said Bourgois.

But ESA (7-13) still has some growing to do. The Falcons tried to shoot themselves back into the game from beyond the 3-point line, but hit only four on the night and none as time wound down with Fairview maintaining a double-digit lead for much of the fourth period.

“We’ve become so guard-dominant that we kind of live and die by the 3,” said Bourgeois. “Tonight we definitely spent too much time around the perimeter and not enough getting the ball in the paint.”

In fact, it was the inside play of Max Kallenberger that kept the Falcons within striking distance in the late going. Kallenberger led ESA with 18 points and frequently kept the ball alive on the offensive glass for second-chance points after missed jump shots.

“Max Kallenberger, who’s our leading scorer, gets most of his points on offensive rebounds,” said Bourgeois.

Brandon Taylor added 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, for ESA, while Spencer Hales had 8 points and Andy Rinaldi added 6.

But the Panthers pulled away late at the free throw line, with Cody Neal hitting 13 of 14 for Fairview, finishing with a game-high 30 points. Colby Marler, who hit five of five free throws, added 15 points.

Erath beat ESA by 11 on Saturday, with the Falcons again struggling from the free throw line.

“The game was pretty much what I thought (it would be),” said Bourgeois. “Erath came out and was real aggressive on the boards and outrebounded us.

“Once again, free throw shooting killed us. We were 7-for-22 from the free throw line. It just is our Achilles heel.”

Kallenberger led the Falcons with 20 points and Taylor had 18 but there was a big dropoff to the next scorer, said Bourgeois.

Erath, meanwhile, had four scorers in double figures.

“We had the opportunity to get back in the game and free throws just killed us,” said Bourgeios. “We were in foul trouble all night, couldn’t get into a rhythm.”

The Bobcats, he added, did a great job of being patient with the ball and knocked down their free throws.

The Falcons are in the midst of a home stand that continues with a game Tuedsay at 6:30 p.m. against Loreauville and concludes Friday with a 7 p.m. game against Northside Christian .

“We need it,” said Bourgeois. “We’ve been on the road a lot.”