Falcons Battle Tigers

The AMS 7th & 8th grade Blue boys basketball team split a pair of home games with Massillon Orange on Saturday morning.

The 7th grade game was a wild back and forth contest with the Falcons starting the game on fire scoring 17 first-quarter points, which included including three long distance three-point shots which gave them a 17-10 lead.

The Tigers returned the favor in the 2nd quarter with a 3-pointer of their own, and a much more aggressive defensive effort which held the Falcons scoreless for the quarter and gave the visitors a slight 19-17 lead at halftime.

The Falcons got back on track offensively in the second half with some crisp unselfish passing and ball movement by attacking the basket and drawing fouls against Massillon. While the Falcons were able to regain the lead at 32-29 after three quarters, the Tigers would not go away in the final quarter.

The teams traded free-throws, baskets, and three-point shots right up to the final horn with the AMS boys holding on for a 47-43 win in a very competitive and entertaining game. W

While statistics were not kept for this game, it's safe to say that each of the Falcons made valuable contributions to the team, and Coach Sahli is extremely proud of their effort and coachability. 

The second quarter was more of the same as the Tiger defense was stifling everything the Falcons tried on offense. Fortunately a three-point shot just before halftime gave the team a little momentum, even though they still trailed 19-9 and had a lot to figure out during the halftime break. 

As they have proved all season, the AMS 8th Grade Blue team showed heart, toughness and teamwork and mounted a tremendous second half comeback to get back into the game. They turned the tables on Tigers in the 3rd period outscoring them 11-4 and closed the Massillon lead to 23-20 heading into the final six minutes.  

The 4th quarter was a continuation of the momentum for the Falcons as they tied Massillon 23-23 on a clutch three-point shot by Cam Sallee. The team then traded baskets back-and-forth over the remainder of the game and held a slim 2-point lead in the waning moments of the game. The Tigers were able to connect on long three-pointer with about 15 seconds left that gave them a final lead of 30-29 as they were able to hold off any Falcon last second shot attempt. 

While the 8th Graders weren't able to secure a victory, they showed tremendous character and resolve in another hard fought and intense game that will help prepare them for the remainder of this season, and going forward.

Both teams return to play on Tuesday, January 20th with a home game against AAC foe Howland.