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PBA Varsity Girl Allie Nevius shoots over her Oakdale defender. Rising Star Brady Pearre shows his "ups" against the WHC Force, JV Girl Madison Peyton looks to score against Oakdale. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, email Tom at JCPhotoClub at aol.com.

Rising Star Boys Down Hoyas, WHC Force!
Rising Star Girls Beat Eagles, Start Winning Streak

Sunday was Fun Day as the PBA Rising Star Boys moved their record to 4-1 with a 45-21 victory over the Hoyas. With nine players scoring the young Falcons had a very balanced attack. The Hoyas did a good job keeping it close in the first half and Poolesville Coach Haddaway thought his team was taking too many outside shots early on. "Once we settled down and started taking the ball to the rim we really took over the game," said Haddaway. "We also did a better job of sharing the basketball and that always helps." Ryan Haddaway led Poolesville in scoring with eight points, followed by Brady Pearre, Michael Basehore, and Pete Barry each with six. Colin Metz, Robert Siegrest, Jack Tyler, and Brian Jacobs each had four points and Tommy Poole hit for three.

The RS Boys started the weekend on a very strong note by beating a formidable WHC Force squad in overtime by a final score of 47-45. Poolesville trapped and pressed their way to an early eleven point lead but the Force rose to the occasion and tied the game at the half. With three minutes to go in regulation the Force held a seven point lead. Poolesville fought back and with just three seconds to go in regulation Pete Barry (11 points total) hit a three-pointer to tie things up and force the Force into an extra period of play. Brady Pearre took it from there scoring six points in OT to secure the victory for the young Falcons. In addition to Barry's eleven, Tommy Poole and Ryan Haddaway had ten points each, Pearre finished with seven, Brian Jacobs had six and Robert Siegrest finished with three.

On Sunday afternoon, the PBA Rising Star Girls team got off the "schneid" and defeated the Lady Eagles by a final score of 27-21. The Falcons soared to an early lead of 9-0 in the opening minutes of the game. The cushion was built by the tenacious defense of Kelliann Lee and Haley Harkins with several steals leading to layups and open shots. The offense cooled in the latter portions of the opening half, yet the Falcon defense was stingy in only allowing three points for the Lady Falcons. Poolesville led by eight at the break. Megan Roldan played an excellent first half with four points and four rebounds in leading the first half charge. Erin Green ruled the paint with six points, while Harkins, Madeleine Thompson each had a basket.

In the second half, the Falcons started strong again and surged to a 23-8 lead. Tori Gruber had four rebounds, while Brooke Brightful added three boards. As the minutes were winding down in the game, the Lady Falcons got on fire from outside and hit multiple three pointers and outside shots to make the score respectable at the buzzer. Erin Green led Poolesville in scoring with eight points, Madeleine Thompson followed with six, Megan Roldan had four points, Kelliann Lee added three points, while Maureen Miller (displaying a nice touch from the outside), Hannah Bush, and Haley Harkins finished with a basket. All of the team pitched in with solid defensive minutes including Avery Whitney-Blum, Bridgette Hammett, and Cubby Schmidt. "Very happy to get the first win after being so close the past couple of games" said Coach Thompson. "The girls definitely deserved it. I thought our start today was outstanding. Kelliann Lee was like a pickpocket on their point guard and Kelliann also made some very nice assists to Erin down low."

On Saturday the PBA Varsity Girls dropped a hard fought game to Oakdale 38-28. The Oakdale girls kept the Falcons at arms length and slightly outscored them each quarter. "Our scoring production was not good enough to win a game," said Poolesville Coach Chris Hall. "Adding together missing easy baskets with not taking shots and defense allowing dribble penetration equals a tough game." commented Hall. Scoring for the Falcons were Casey Harkins and Kristen Darragh with nine each followed by Allie Nevius and Jami D'Amelio with five apiece.

The PBA JV Girls dropped a tough one to Oakdale on Saturday night. The Lady Falcons started off fast and had little trouble with Oakdale's full court man-to-man press in the first half and finished the mid-way point with a 19-18 lead. The second half didn't fair so well for Poolesville in what proved to be a lopsided affair. "We got whistled for several quick fouls in the third period and it really took the wind out of our sails," commented Coach Trainor. "We just couldn't get things going in the second half. You aren't going to beat a team like Oakdale scoring only six points the entire second half." Oakdale outscored the Falcon's 25 -6 in the second half and pulled away to an easy 43-25 victory. Fifteen of Oakdale's point total came from the free throw line, and in the end, Oakdale shot 24 free throws during the contest compared to Poolesville's six.

Madi Peyton led the Falcons in scoring with six points and Siann Riggs scored five points. Hailey Khalil, Hannah Bush, Haley Harkins, Delaney Cecco and Danielle Torres all also scored for Poolesville. Samme Mullikin took three textbook charges for the Falcons but was unfortunately called for blocking on two and the other was completely ignored. "Although the calls didn't go our way, I thought that Samme sacrificing for the team and taking those charges were the highlight of the game for me. I love to see that kind of unselfish play," said Coach Trainor. "We played a tough game and unfortunately things didn't go our way," said Trainor. "I would rather lose tough games during the season and get all of our girls valuable playing time now so that when tournament time rolls around, all of our girls, when called upon, are ready to go."

Behind the five three-point scores recorded by Jermaine Hill, the TJ Patriots clipped the PBA Varsity Boys by a final score of 54-50. In a contest marked by back and forth lead changes, the Falcons led by four very late in the game, but it was the three-point dagger by Hill with less than thirty seconds left that sealed the game. Hill finished as the game high scorer with 21. The Falcons were paced by Kevin Simmons with 19, Joe Soltis with 17 and Justin Souter with five. Also getting into the scoring column were Andrew Bacus with four points and Jake Armstrong and Dylan Landis with two each. Louis Potts also scored.

Thomas Johnson's JV Boys opened up an early 10-2 lead over the PBA JV Boys before the game settled into a good ol' fashioned dog fight. The Falcons clawed their way back from two double-digit deficits to pull within one point late in the third period, but too many turnovers and the hot shooting of T.J. sent home-standing Poolesville to a 48-34 loss. Poolesville's Michael McDonald (11 points) and Tim McIntyre (six points) keyed the Poolesville comeback. Pete Barry scored five points and Jake Drissel finished with four. Gage Wolitzky, Michael Morgan, Tucker Ross and Michael Collins also scored for Poolesville.

Bulldogs Bite Hard, Often!
Ballenger Creek Tough Host to JV, Varsity Boys

The PBA Varsity Boys hung with undefeated Ballenger Creek early on but a painful third period proved to be too much for Poolesville to overcome as the Falcons fell to the Bulldogs by a final score of 57-32.  Poolesville’s Joe Soltis played an excellent all-around game leading the way for the Falcons with 15 points. Kevin Simmons (9) and Dylan Landis (4) added to the Falcon final tally.

The PBA JV Boys wrote the script for the varsity game as they too gave Ballenger Creek all they could in the first half before falling 55-32 to the Bulldogs. Poolesville was led in scoring by Michael McDonald who finished with 11 points and gave the Bulldogs trouble all night. Jake Drissel scored nine and Cole Carmack added five for the Falcons. Gage Wolitzky, Joe Brashear, Michael Collins, and Tucker Ross also scored in the loss for Poolesville. Amazingly, Poolesville shot 38% from the field---one of their best shooting percentages of the year.

PBA Rising Star Boy Robert Siegrist and RS Girl Tori Gruber in action this past weekend. Varsity Boy Joe Soltis continues his fine season with this drive against Urbana. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, contact Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com

Varsity Girls Mollie Bodmer displays fine form in this shot over Windsor Knolls. PBA Rising Star Girl Hannah Bush drives to the bucket. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, contact Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com

PBA RS Boys Salvage Lost Weekend
RS Girls SO CLOSE --- Lose Two by Three Points Total

The PBA Rising Star Boys brought home a victory against the TSB Lakers with a final score of 36-26. The boys had a great defensive effort against the Lakers. They still have some work to do on the offensive side of the ball. Coach Haddaway was happy with the effort and the victory but noted we turned over the ball and missed too many shots. The defense created a ton of opportunities that we will need to do a better job taking advance of in order to compete in this league. According to Coach Haddaway, "Our boys always play hard and that really carried us tonight." Pete Barry led the scoring with 15 points, followed by Ryan Haddaway with seven, and Tommy Poole and Brian Jacobs with three each. Trevor McFall, Brady Pearre, Jack Tyler, Tyler Morningstar each had a bucket. Robert Siegrest, Brian Jacobs, and Tyler Morningstar led the way in rebounding.

Urbana's JV Boys used an explosive second quarter to break open a tight game and take a commanding early lead against thePBA JV Boys. The Falcons surged in the third quarter to cut the lead to eight, but Urbana was too big and their press too strong as the visitors beat the home team by a final score of 47-31. Poolesville was paced by Michael McDonald with 14 points and Jake Drissel with 12.

The Urbana Varsity Boys found the going much tougher against the PBA Varsity Boys and managed just a three point lead at the half. The Hawks turned up the heat in the third period with relentless pressure to forge a lead they would not relinquish as they toppled the Falcons by a final score of 52-37. Poolesville big men Kevin Simmons (12 points) and Joe Soltis (11 points) did what they could to keep the Falcons close. Justin Souder pitched in six points for Poolesville.

The PBA Varsity Girls dropped a tough game 53-42 against Windsor Knolls. In total command in the first half, the Falcons went into the locker room with a 24-16 lead. However, the wind changed direction and the experienced Windsor Knolls team scored 20 in the third quarter and went up 36-34. A laps of defense and poor shooting from the Falcons allowed WK back into the game and in the final four minutes of the game, WK went 11/14 from the line to seal the victory. "The girls showed everyone how they are capable of playing. I was very proud of everyone stepping up. All we need to do is finish the same way and these girls will be a dominating force." commented Coach Hall. Casey Harkins led all scores with 11 followed by Karyn Comfort with 10, Allie Nevius seven and Mollie Bodmer added six. Also scoring were Jami D'Amelio and Kristen Darragh with four each.

In a physical rematch between the PBA's JV Girls and the Windsor Knolls JV Girls, the home-standing Wolverines prevailed 33-14. The JV Falcons cut the lead to six points with aggressive play, but were never able to pull closer. Poolesville's Samme Mullikin played great defense making it difficult for the Wolverines to penetrate, but Windsor Knoll's defense matched the Poolesville effort. Hailey Khalil and Madison Peyton led the Falcons with three points each.

The PBA Rising Star Girls started slowly, finished strong, yet came up agonizingly close again falling to Damascus 22-20 on Sunday. Poolesville appeared to be a bit sleepy in their play in the first half, yet Damascus' smaller, yet pesky team had a lot to do with the Falcons' lack of offensive production. Damascus had a ten point lead at the end of the first half. Tori Gruber and Madeleine Thompson had the only points of the first half, while Erin Green had four rebounds and four blocked shots. In the second half, the Falcons began to utilize their height advantage and started chipping away at the Damascus lead. Poolesville's determination and sticking to the game plan of feeding Erin Green or Tori Gruber down low eventually worked so well that the Falcons took the lead with a couple of minutes remaining in regulation. Eventually, the Falcons had the ball with 6 seconds to go and needing a basket to tie, yet unfortunately were not successful in getting the equalizer. Offensively, the Poolesville comeback was lead by Erin Green with seven points, Madeleine Thompson's had a three pointer, while Kelliann Lee, Haley Harkins, and Tori Gruber added a basket each. Bridgette Hammett was not able to find the score sheet in this game, however provided needed help in breaking the Damascus press as well as playing a suffocating defense throughout the game. Erin Green displayed her strength on the boards and corralled ten rebounds for the game. "After last night's game, a one point loss, and today's nail biter, it is tough to take" said Coach Thompson. "However I am proud of the effort of all of the girls in the team and see noticeable signs of progress. We started so slowly today, but really stuck to the game plan in the second half and put ourselves in position to pull out the win." Coach Thompson also noted, "a few too many turnovers and again our poor free throw shooting has been a major problem (1 for 7 at the line today). We will keep on working hard and eventually we are going to push through and get the win."

The Rising Star Girls put it all on the line on Saturday night against the Flames, yet unfortunately came up just one point shy in the end, 19-18. In a defensive battle that was either even or nearly even throughout the entire game, the Falcons showed that they meant business tonight by sticking to their pre-game goal of being tougher and hungrier than they have showed so far this season. The Flames came out of the gates quickly grabbing the early lead, however the Poolesville defense stifled the Flames for most of the half. The Falcons' offense also found it difficult to score, yet the team was able to gather enough points to be within four points at the break. Madeleine Thompson, Erin Green and Hannah Bush scored baskets for Poolesville in the first half, while Kelliann Lee had a free throw. In the second half, the Falcons stormed back to take the lead on a few occasions as the game seesawed for several minutes. Tori Gruber came alive in a big way with six points, four rebounds and two blocks. With time running low, Madeleine Thompson hit a clutch 3 pointer that saw nothing but net. With just seconds left in the game, the Falcons had the ball and down by just one point. Kelliann Lee was able to break free from a solid screen set by Hannah Bush and efficiently weaved her way down the court. The ball finally found the hands of Erin Green down low where she was fouled by the Flames. With 2.4 seconds left in regulation, Green had two free throws to either tie or win the game, however she wasn't able to convert in what was the ultimate pressure packed situation for any player. "Very, very proud of each and every team member tonight" said Coach Thompson. "We came back tonight and rebounded very nicely from a very poor effort in our last game. We stressed that our main focus right now is to just compete and play as hard as we can every second we are out there...to just lay everything on the line". Coach Thompson also noted, "The difference from winning and losing this game is very easy....free throws. We usually shoot about 60% from the line as a team, however we made only 25% tonight (3 for 12). "

PBA JV and Varsity Boys Bring Excitement, Wins on MLK Day!
JV Girls Take Two of Three Over Long Weekend

In a MLK Day thriller at the Poolesville High School Main Gym, the St. Johns JV Boys stormed back from eight points down with two minutes left and held the ball with just a tick on the clock and ready to hit a three to force overtime against the PBA JV Boys. The tick went fast, the shot went long, and the home-standing Falcons picked up a 30-27 win over the visiting Vikings. Poolesville's Jake Drissel (12 points total) hit for six in the third period to give Poolesville a strong lead. Teammate Michael McDonald (eight points) hit for six in the second to give the Falcons the early boost. Poolesville also filled up the box score with points coming from Jordon Belski, Gage Wolitzky, Michael Morgan, Michael Collins, and Tucker Ross. "We almost gave that one away," said Coach John Weber, "but the boys held their ground when it counted."

In the second exciting contest from soggy Poolesville, the St. Johns Varsity Boys squared off against the PBA Varsity Boys in a game that was destined for overtime. With no team leading by more than three points from the midway point in the second quarter onward, both squads seemed poised to win---or lose---at any moment late in the game. Poolesville made the scoreboard light up last as the Falcons beat the Vikings 46-45 in overtime. Poolesville's Kevin Simmons set the pace early by scoring 12 of his game-high 19 points in the first half. As the game slipped towards OT, Coach Marshall MIcheals implored his troops to knuckle down. "I need all of you focus and get into the game now," said Micheals. Poolesville big man Joe Soltis was apparently listening as he rose off of his sick bed to score five of his 13 points in the extra period to bring home the bacon for the Falcons. Justin Souder was also a big factor for the home team as he dipped and weaved his way for 10 points and gave Poolesville good floor leadership. Dylan Landis hit a big bucket for the home team and grabbed two rebounds. Jake Armstrong also scored for Poolesville and contributed three steals. Louis Potts also had five steals and four boards.

In Sunday action, the Monocacy JV Boys were bigger, stronger and faster than Poolesville's JV Boys and by no coincidence it showed up on the scoreboard as the JV Mustangs rebounded, ran, and muscled their way to a 56-22 win over the Falcons. The Falcons were paced by Jake Drissel and Tucker Ross with eight points each.

Monocacy's Varsity Boys made it a clean sweep as they took down Poolesville's Varsity Boys 45-25 on Sunday. TJ Reynolds hit for 11 and Justin Largo scored eight as the Mustangs broke open a tight game early to bring home the away game win. Poolesville closed the gap to nine in the third period behind the shooting of Kevin Simmons, who led all scorers with 18 points. Justin Sounder (four points) and Ryan Bannon rounded out Poolesville's scoring.

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The PBA JV Girls jumped out to a 10-4 first quarter lead and were able to hold on Saturday against a determined Urbana squad. The outsized Falcons used their scrappy defense to hold Urbana to 8 first half points. Hannah Bush, Haley Harkins, Siann Riggs and Hailey Khalil used their speed and scrappy defense to keep the Urbana guards in check and create turnovers that lead to some transition buckets for the Falcons.

The Falcons bench played particularly well. Hannah Bush had 5 first quarter points off the bench for the Falcons and Bella Garner was a game changer for the Falcons with 7 points off the bench. "Bella and Hannah really gave us a spark offensively," said Coach Pat Trainor. "Having confidence in all 12 girls on the team gives you a great feeling as a coach," commented Coach Trainor.

The Falcons came out in the third quarter and out scored Urbana 9-6 and extended a half time lead to 24-14. Urbana would not go away and came within 6 at the end of the contest with the Falcons prevailing with a final score of 30-24. Hailey Khalil led all scorers with nine points. Bella Garner and Delaney Cecco both had seven each. Hannah Bush finished with five and Madi Peyton chipped in two.

In a battle between two evenly matched teams on Sunday, the PBA JV Girls added to a slight 3rd quarter advantage to take a 24-17 win over Walkersville's JV Girls. The home-standing Falcons led by just two at the end of three before outscoring the visitors 9-4 in the final period. Poolesville's Hailey Khalil led all scorers with ten points. Delaney Cecco hit all of the spots in the box score with six points, seven rebounds, five steals and three blocks. The Falcons also picked up ten rebounds from Samme Mullikin, and six blocks from Erin Green.

The PBA JV Girls were the first game of the traditional MLK Day quadruple-header on Monday. It became obvious early on that the Falcons had too much "Coffey" during their home game against the Windsor Knolls JV Girls as the Knoll's Sam Coffey poured in 19 points to defeat the Falcons by a final score of 36-24. WK ran off to 15-4 opening quarter lead with two steals-and-buckets from Poolesville's Hailey Khalil (10 points) keeping the Falcons from being shut out. Poolesville made a run of it in the third quarter but it was too little, too late. Madi Peyton was on fire and scored ten points from all over. Delaney Cecco hit for four Poolesville.

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In their NBA like back-to-back-to-back games, the PBA Varsity Girls dropped all three over the weekend.

On Saturday, the PBA Varsity Girls traveled North to Urbana and faced a very talented Hawks team. Losing 56-28, the Falcon's defense could not stop the top two Hawks players. On the other side of the court, the buckets just did not fall. Scoring for Lady Falcons were Jami D'Amelio six and Molllie Bodmer, Karyn Comfort, Casey Harkins and Allie Nevius with four. Kristen Darragh, Breanne Hall and Jessie Martinez each added two to the effort.

With the sun rising on another day, the Lady Falcons came ready to play. Walkersville jumped out to a quick lead and went into the locker room ahead 28-16 at the half. The Falcons started the third quarter with determination and outscored Walkersville 11-6 to pull within seven. During the last quarter, the Lady Falcons brought the game within five but the first half deficit was too much to overcome and they lost 46-31. Mollie Bodmer with her first double-double of the year, led with 10 points and 11 boards. Also scoring for the Falcons were Casey Harkins with six while Karyn Comfort, Jami D'Amelio, Breanne Hall and Allie Nevius each contributed two.

In their final game of the weekend, the Lady Falcons played their best basketball of the season against the top team in the division, Windsor Knolls. Playing aggressive offense and defense, the Lady Falcons went into the locker room with a 23-20 lead. In the third, Windsor Knolls slowed things down with a 3-2 zone defense and the scoring doldrums returned for the Falcons. "The girls played extremely well as a team and I was very pleased with the effort they put forth. Tonight was a tale of two halves. We came ready to play in the first scoring 23 points, but we must do better at finishing a game. Only scoring 10 points total in the second half is not good enough to win in this division." commented Coach Hall after the game. Casey Harkins lead all scores with eight followed by Jami D'Amelio with seven , Kristen Darragh with six and Breanne Hall with four. Also scoring were Mollie Bodmer three while Karyn Comfort and Laruen Lightcap chipped in a bucket each. Allie Nevius hit a free throw to round out the Falcon's effort. Final score 41-33 Windsor Knolls on top.

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The PBA Rising Star Girls suffered their third consecutive defeat of the season, falling this time to Team Skillz 22-11.

Poolesville faced a team that continually pounded both the offensive and defensive glass, while the often meek Falcons became bystanders. As in the case with five of the six previous games (including the four holiday tournament games), Poolesville jumped out to the early lead, yet shot poorly in the first half (2 of 19 shooting for just 11%) and trailed by five at the break. In the second half, Team Skillz continued to rule the boards and took advantage of numerous mishaps by the Falcons to extend their lead. The Falcons shot just slightly better in the second half (3 of 17 shooting for a still measly 18%). Poolesville was able to get within 4 points midway through the second half thanks to some turnovers from its full court press, but continued lack of finishing plays on offense came back to bite the Falcons. Tori Gruber and Madeleine Thompson led Poolesville with four points. Erin Green led the team with five blocks, despite having to sit out much of the game with foul trouble.

"I'm disappointed in our effort tonight" said Coach Thompson. "I told the girls at halftime and at the end of the game that it looked like we didn't want it anywhere near as much as Team Skillz. We didn't dive for loose balls, didn't get two hands on the ball when rebounding, and got pushed around consistently." Coach Thompson also noted, "14% shooting from the field for the game and coincidentally 14% foul shooting (1 for 7) will not help us win games. We shoot quite well, from the line and the field in practices, yet we have to translate that over to the games".

PBA Varsity Girl Kristin Darragh gets physical (and some airtime) to the bucket and JV Girl Samme Mullikin scoops in a lay-up against Crestwood, JV Boy Tucker Ross nails the runner against Mount Airy. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, contact Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com. 

PBA Varsity Boy Kevin Simmons muscles hit way to the hole while Rising Star Girl Cubby Schmidt has her eyes on the prize. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints, contact Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com. 

Soltis Powers PBA Varsity Boys to First Win!
Two Drives and "And Ones" In Final Minutes Key Victory
JV Girls Beat Crestwood, RS Boys Open With Four-Point Win Over Savage

PBA Varsity Power Forward Joe Soltis lived up to his position name as he repeatedly drove, rebounded and powered his way to 27 points to lead the PBA Varsity Boys to their first win of the season by a final score of 45-37 over Mt. Airy. Despite Soltis hitting for 15 in the first half, Poolesville trailed by six at the midway point. The Falcons opened the second half on a 10-0 run to take the lead and held on to bring home the win. "I thought the guys showed a lot of heart today and our defense played the best they have all season in the second half," said substitute Coach John Weber. "Louis Potts gave us a lift at the end of the first half with his passing and defense. Justin Souder did a great job of controlling the ball in the second half. Of course, Joe was fantastic. Dylan Landis gave us some good minutes inside too, including a nice tie-up at the end." In addition to the Soltis effort, Kevin Simmons came up big with 12 points, Landis finished with four, and Souder had a bucket.

The PBA JV Boys saw a similar scorer take over a game but unfortunately that player, Kevin Morris, wore a Mount Airy uniform. Morris (23 points) scored early and often, and combined with 13 points from Connor Graham the visitors ran off with a 52-42 win over the home-standing Falcons. Poolesville's JV Boys finished with Michael McDonald scoring a career high 16 points. Tim McIntyre finished with ten points in the loss. Mount Airy broke open a close contest by controlling the fourth quarter behind the play of Morris and Graham. Cole Carmack contributed five for the Falcons, Pete Barry hit for four, and Gage Wolitzky, Jake Drissel, Tucker Ross, and Michael Collins also scored.

The PBA JV Girls opened up the New Year with a resounding 23-11 win over Crestwood. Poolesville's Delaney Cecco powered the Falcons to the win with 13 points. Poolesville held the Lady Cavaliers scoreless in the second period to key the victory. The win pushes the JV Girls record to 5-1 in their inaugural Mid-Maryland League season. Hailey Khalil scored five for the Falcons, Hannah Bush, Maddie Peyton, and Haley Harkins also scored for Poolesville. 

The PBA Varsity Girls lost 24-29 to Crestwood in their second match-up this season. The third quarter doldrums came back to haunt the young Falcons and was the ultimate deal breaker. Down by three at the half, 13-10, the Falcons were positioned for a win but a lack of offensive firepower and a lapse in defense were the recipe for disaster. Scoring only four points in the third quarter was not enough to overcome Crestwood's outside shooting. Karyn Comfort lead all scores with 12 followed by Casey Harkins with four. Also contributing to the game were Lauren Lightcap, Breanne Hall, Jami D'Amelio and Jessie Martinez each adding a bucket.

The PBA Rising Star Boys took the court for the first game of the season Sunday afternoon and came away with a 43-39 victory against a big, strong and fast Savage Eagles team. The Falcons came out with an intense full court press that resulted in an early eight point lead. The Eagles fought back and made a game of it with the lead changing hands frequently throughout the game. Brian Jacobs, Michael Basehore, and Robert Siegrest shared the duties of covering the Eagles strongest player. With two and half minutes to go in the game Pete Barry hit a three-pointer to cut the Eagles lead to one, Ryan Haddaway followed the next time down court with a three-pointer of his own to put the Falcons in the lead. The Falcon's tough defense held the fort the rest of the way for the four-point win. Ryan Haddaway led all scoring with a team high 13 points followed by Pete Barry with 12, Brady Pearre with eight, and Tommy Poole with four. Robert Siegrest, Brian Jacobs, and Tyler Morningstar also scored. Coach Haddaway was happy with the boys’ effort and felt the victory was the result of the boys conditioning and effort to get into game shape. He was pleased that everyone played and everyone played well.

The PBA Rising Star Girls team ended the two game weekend on the same sour note as it started falling to the Hoopsters 34-12. The "highlight" of this game was making the game's first basket, otherwise the Falcons were having a difficult time keeping up with the speed and ability of the opposition the rest of the game. The Hoopsters held the halftime lead of 22-10 and never looked back. Erin Green had four points for the Falcons, while Haley Harkins and Tori Gruber each had three points. "The girls are really pressing on offense and trying to do too much individually" said Coach Thompson. "Defensively, we were doing a decent job on switching on defense, however we did not keep the dribbler contained from penetrating through the paint. The girls looked tired and did not put up quite as much fight as we did in last night's game." Coach Thompson also noted, "We have a lot of work to do for sure. In the division we are in, every game is going to be difficult for us. I know we are going to be a better team playing against this competition in the long run, but we just need to keep plugging away and find some consistency in our offense."

The Rising Star Girls' game against the CSA Coyotes brought back memories of the ole Saturday night at the fights. The Coyotes used their considerable size advantage in aggressive and relentless fashion in a 36-27 win over the Falcons on Saturday evening. The game began with the Falcons jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first few minutes. In the opening run, Kelliann Lee made a nice steal near half court and was able to make a beautiful pass down court to a speedy Madeleine Thompson who laid in the ball for a layup. The Coyotes however started flexing their muscles and were able to rebound well off the defensive glass and get a couple of breakaways themselves to even the score at seven. The first half ended with the Falcons down 21-15. Erin Green had four points at the half, followed by Madeleine Thompson with three points.

After the break, the Coyotes really stepped on the accelerator and raced to a 31-15 advantage about midway through the second half. From that point, the Falcons started rebounding a bit better and a vicious full court press led by Haley Harkins and Hannah Bush seemed to rattle CSA to several turnovers and led to several Poolesville baskets. The Falcons battled hard and never gave up. Poolesville ended the second half with a 12-5 run to close the scoring. Madeleine Thompson led the Falcons with seven points, followed by Erin Green with six. "Great start to the game tonight" said Coach Thompson. "The girls were flying to the ball, making steals and looked sharp. Unfortunately CSA's tremendous size just was hard to match." Coach Thompson also noted, "The tough thing about this game is that I felt we actually had pretty good rebounding positioning and showed good effort, but we just simply were not able to haul in enough rebounds and limit their second chances. CSA is a tough team to hold down for the entire game".

 

JV Boys Come Back from Eight Down to Beat Lions!

The PBA JV Boys started the New Year off on the right foot with a 27-26 win against Walkersville. Poolesville jumped out to a 6 -0 lead to start the game and ended the half down 15-14. The Falcons turned that one-point deficit into an eight-point deficit in the second half, then outscored Walkersville 11 to two (lead by Joe Brashear's four points) to in the final quarter for the win. Michael McDonald's free throw with less than five seconds left was the game winner. Jake Drissel (eight points) and Tim McIntyre (six points) paced the Falcons. McDonald hit for five, Brashear had four, Cole Carmack scored three and Colin Fisher also scored. Cole McKenney led the team in assists, Cole Carmack and Tim McIntyre led the team in rebounds with Gage Wolitzky grabbing three big rebounds in the 4th quarter. Jordan Belski was the only Falcon with no turnovers (nice job handling the ball) and Colin Fisher hit all his free throws.

The PBA Varsity Team Boys had an outstanding start with the higher ranked and heavily favored Walkersville. After an 11-11 first quarter score, the Falcons had difficulty with the press and committed turnovers which led to easy baskets for the Lions. The halftime score was 32-18. From there it was uphill sledding as Walkersville jumped on a 10-0 run in the third quarter. "This is not an 'oh-fer' team", said Coach Micheals as he wrapped up the game. "We have confidence problems, which led to turnovers, which led to points for the other team. I still believe in these guys and they are the guys that we, as Poolesville, want representing us. When we get over this hump, we are going to be able to win some games and surprise some people in the Mid-Maryland League. Again, let me repeat, this is not an 0-7 team. We are going to gather around our record and come out swinging from now on," said Micheals. Scoring was not distributed and only three Falcons were on the sheet. Kevin Simmons led the charge with 15, Joe Soltis had 13 and Jake Armstrong finished it out with six. The team looks for a big win over Mount Airy to start the new year on a positive roll.

Rising Star Girls Take Two!
Young Falcons Recover Quickly, Advance in MOCO Holiday Tournament

The PBA Rising Star Girl Falcons played three games in the Montgomery County Rising Star Tournament in a 24 hour span and displayed a 2-1 record. The opening game featured a contest against the Olney Warriors. The game was tied at nine at the half. Erin Green banked six of the first half Falcon points. The Falcons broke open a four point lead in the second half, yet due to a couple of defensive lapses as well as opportunistic shooting by the Warriors, the Falcons were facing a deficit with two minutes to go in regulation. Relentless full court pressure, led by Kelliann Lee, cut the Warrior lead to one with 12 seconds to go. Lee then took the inbounds pass and weaved her way down court to the top of the key and spotted an open Erin Green next to the basket, but the Warriors skillfully trapped Lee and were able to steal the ball to end the possibility for a dramatic buzzer beating lay-up. The final score was 19-18 Olney. Erin Green led the Falcons game scoring with 10 points, while Cubby Schmidt was next with two field goals for four points. "I thought the girls had a pretty good opening game of the season" said Coach Thompson. We had several close-in missed opportunities early in the game which would have blown the game open, but those misses came back to haunt us in the end. It was a tough loss to take, but we did some things well, especially our press break."

The second day and second game of the tournament for Poolesville featured a match-up with the Bethesda Lightning. The Falcons roared out of the gates early and often and blasted the Lightning 31-15. Poolesville lead by 17 at the half and never looked back. Eight Falcons figured in the scoring with Haley Harkins and Erin Green leading the way with six points. Megan Roldan (four points) and Brooke Brightful (two points)---both 5th graders---scored the first points of their very young PBA Falcon careers. Cubby Schmidt and Tori Gruber chipped in with four points each, while Hannah Bush had three points. "I was extremely happy with how well the girls bounced back after a nail-biter loss the previous night," noted Coach Thompson. "Seeing so many of the team get on the score sheet was great to see and our rebounding was much more in line with what we need to do in future games."

The second game of the day for the Falcons was just as successful as the noon shootout earlier in the day with the good guys winning big again, this time 34-22 over the Columbia Ravens. Just as they did earlier in the day, Poolesville started out strong taking a 10-2 lead and built a 12-14 point lead that lasted the rest of the way. The Falcons' height soared again in this game taking advantage of the Ravens down low with Erin Green netting 10 points to lead the team in scoring. Green also gathered in seven rebounds and swatted several Raven shots. The press, although not used as much as in previous games, was able to generate several turnovers and translate them into easy baskets. Hannah Bush had a strong game both offensively and defensively and had six points, while Kelliann Lee also had six points, all in the first half. Madeleine Thompson made two long jumpers, just inside the 3 point arc, while Tori Gruber, Brooke Brightful, Megan Roldan, and Cubby Schmidt each had a basket. Continuing their strong gains in the rebounding, Brooke Brightful had seven boards to lead the Falcons. "Another very solid performance by the girls tonight. We again stormed out to an early lead and were able to maintain it throughout the game," said Coach Thompson. "Each girl on the team has had special moments. Maureen Miller has had some tough luck on some of her shots not falling, however her calmness, and quick thinking on our press break have been so instrumental in our success in getting the ball down court."

PBA JV, Varsity Girls Roll Into Break With Wins Over TJ!
JV Boys Outrun, Outlast Linganore

The PBA Varsity Girls beat Thomas Johnson 30-19 this past Saturday. Building off their win over Brunswick, the Falcons applied an aggressive full court press and jumped out to an 18-8 half time lead. Poolesville held TJ to only two points in the third quarter and commanded a 27-10 lead heading into the fourth. Casey Harkins led all scores with nine followed by Lauren Lightcap with seven. Karyn Comfort and Allie Nevius added five each while Mollie Bodmer and Kristen Darragh added a bucket each. "I'm very happy walking away with a win tonight but we need to focus on our shot selection," said Coach Chris Hall. "We took 57 shots and only made 11, which means our trend line on the season is not improving. If we could make half of what we miss - that's only shooting 40% - we would dominate this league. Almost all our misses are from within the paint and we need to do a better job finishing our shots." commented Coach Hall after the game.

The PBA JV Girls traveled to Thomas Johnson on Saturday and brought home a win as well. "We played excellent team defense against an athletic TJ squad," commented Coach Pat Trainor. The scrappy defense on the perimeter by the JV guards, Hannah Bush, Haley Harkins, Siann Riggs, Beckah Trainor and Hailey Khalil helped keep the TJ offense in check by not allowing Thomas Johnson to break through to the paint off the dribble. The Falcon front court played excellent help defense with Bella Garner, Maddie Peyton, Samme Mullikin, Erin Green and Delaney Cecco combining for five blocked shots. "All season we have been the smaller team but because our girls play tough man to man defense, we have been able to hold most offenses in check," said Coach Trainor. That stingy team defense put the Falcons up at the half, 17 to 12. A withering full court press and 20 team steals held the Patriots to only six second half points and the Poolesville girls pulled away at the end of the third quarter and never really looked back. The final score was 38-18 in favor of the Falcons.

Every JV Girl attempted at least one shot for Poolesville. The balanced scoring was lead by Delaney Cecco with 14. Hannah Bush, Hailey Khalil, Danielle Torres, Siann Riggs, Maddie Peyton, Samme Mullikin, and Erin Green all contributed on the offense end with at least one bucket. Siann Riggs hit the team's first three pointer of the year. Once again, the entire team saw playing time. "The girls played great team basketball and Coach Harkins and I are proud of the way our girls played today," said Coach Trainor.

After hanging tough for two and a half quarters, Folly Quarters laid down a 16-8 run in the third that put them comfortably ahead over the PBA's Varsity Boys in Saturday action. FQ then grew a 17-16 halftime lead into a 45-31 victory over the Falcons. "I thought that the kids played pretty tough in the first half, but sometimes when bad things happen to us, we start hanging our heads and then the opportunities snowball into an avalanche of bad fortune," said Coach Micheals as he put on his snowsuit, goggles, gloves and prepared for the snowy forecast. The Falcons were led by Joe Soltis with 18, Justin Souder with four, Dylan Landis with three and Nate Onderko, Andrew Bacas, and Louis Potts with two points each. 'I think that this game proved that we can win against the higher teams, our guys just have to start believing in themselves. We will absolutely keep working to get this thing turned around. A zero and five record just means that you have to work harder", said Micheals looking into the sky wondering when the sunny forecast would come.

The PBA Varsity Boys ran into a buzz saw named Linganore on the Sunday ticket. Opening up to a 30-0 deficit, yes sports fans, you read that right, a 30-0 opening frame, the Poolesville boys held on a little stronger the second quarter and the score was 38-5 at halftime. "We had trouble with their press, their dribbling, their passing, their shooting, their rebounding, their concession stand, the lady with the red coat in the stands, their ticket taker, their parking lot…," said Coach Micheals in the post game interview. "I think that sometimes our guys think that they are beat before they show up into the gym. They knew this team was good, but they gave them more credit than they deserved," Micheals added as he looked up the number for the National Guard and FEMA. The Falcons never quit, and the final score was 52-28 instead of the 120-0 pace that the game started at. "This team, plain and simple is not as bad as they are playing. We are physically capable of keeping up with everyone we've played, we just psyche ourselves out. We need to have some confidence and realize that the other teams put their pants on one leg at a time," Micheals continued as he looked up the numbers for Dionne Warwick, (you know, to get the psychic stuff cooking). The Falcons scoring was led by Joe Soltis with six, Ryan Bannon chipped in four and Colin 'Shooter' Jannson scored his first four PBA points. Dylan Landis kicked in four points, and Andrew Bacas and Louis Potts each contributed a trey. Rounding it out was Justin Souder with two and Ryan D'Amelio with two.

Against Folly Quarters on Saturday, the PBA JV Boys let a 18 - 20 halftime deficit turn into a 50- 28 loss. "FQ went to the press in the second half, we didn't handle it well, made lots of bad passes, missed too many shots and the rest is history," said Coach John Weber. Michael McDonald led Poolesville with 10 points and Jake Drissel finished with eight while Tucker Ross, Jordan Belski, Tim McIntyre and Michael Morgan combined for the remaining 10 points. "Too many turnovers at mid-court turned into fast break points for FQ (29 total) - we gave this game away," said Weber. "Shooting 2 for 11 from the free throw line and 5/24 from the field in the second half didn't help either. All in all----not the best game or effort on our behalf."

The JV Boys bounced back against Linganore on Sunday by opening up an eight point lead and then powering to a 56-45 win. "At one time in the second half we opened up a 20 point lead but gave a lot of that back toward the end of the game when Linganore pressed us," said Weber. "We didn't handle the pressure well again and that almost came back to bite us in the end." Scoring was led by Jake Drissel with 12, Michael McDonald 11, and Pete Barry and Tim McIntyre with eight each. Gage Wolitzky, Cole Carmack, Jordan Belski, Colin Fisher, Michael Collins, Michael Morgan and Tucker Ross also scored. Poolesville ended the game with six assists with Tim McIntyre leading the effort with three. The JV Boys were weak from the free throw line, hitting only 7 for 19 with Michael Morgan (2/2) and McDonald combining for five of them. "We really need to shoot better if we want to be competitive," said Weber. "Cole Carmack took two charges this weekend as a result of just sheer hustle back on defense, something we need from everyone on the floor. We gave up almost 100 points in 2 games - just too many!"

 

PBA Varsity Girl Kristen Darragh draws a crowd of defenders. Karyn Comfort drives for a bucket.

Poolesville Varsity Girl Breanne Hall is not waving to be friendly to the rival Railroaders as she leads the inbounds press. Jessie Martinez prepares to let her shoes blind her opponents on the way to a rebound.

JV, Varsity Girls Sweep Brunswick!
Harkins then Nevius Key Varsity Win

The PBA JV Girls used a fourth quarter burst to push past Brunswick's JV Girls on a rare Thursday night doubleheader in Poolesville. The Falcons broke open a close game by extended a three-point lead at the end of three to win by a final score of 32-21. Delaney Cecco (game high 10 points) and Samme Mullikin (eight points) combined to score 14 points in the final period to blow the game open for the Falcons. Hailey Khalil handed off five assists in addition to scoring her five points in the Poolesville win. Erin Green celebrated her birthday by blowing out eight blocked shots while playing less than half the game. Madison Peyton hit for five points and Danielle Torres also scored for the Falcons.

The PBA Varsity Girls pressed their way to an early advantage and held serve the rest of the way, including holding the Railroaders scoreless in the fourth period, in their 34-20 victory over Brunswick. After the game, Coach Hall commented, "The girls did a much better job taking care of the little things. They were hungry and our full court press worked well. Although shooting 26% is not great - it's progress and much better than our first three games. Baby steps are still steps forward and each week we'll get better." Casey Harkins topped the stats chart with 10 points (eight in the first half), four steals, a rebound and an assist. Allie Nevius added eight points (six in the second half), three rebounds and two steals, while Breanne Hall chipped in seven points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist. Coach Hall added, "I loved how the girls played as a team. Every girl attempted a shot tonight and almost every girl had a rebound. My favorite play of the night was in the fourth quarter, Erin Sparrow was driving down the right side of the lane and Christina Hilton sealed off the defender creating a lane the size of the Mac Truck. That is selfless basketball." Mollie Bodmer was a force on the boards with six rebounds to go along with her four points. Karyn Comfort (four points) had four rebounds. Jami D'Amelio also dropped in a bucket to help the Varsity Girls pick up their first win of the young season.

Khalil, JV Girls Crown Lady Knights
Varsity Girls Fall to Middletown, JV/Varsity Boys Get Railroaded

The PBA JV Girls staged a furious comeback using a deep bench and a strong press to beat Middletown's JV Girls 35-30. After getting down by as many as eight in the first half, Poolesville fought back to trail at halftime by one. "We played all twelve girls and it worked to our advantage," said Coach Pat Trainor. "By the fourth quarter their players were spent and we had fresh legs, were able to press, create turnovers and went on a run, outscoring them 12-6 to pull away with the win." Hailey Khalil led all scorers with 18 points. Khalil also dished out five assists and had four steals. Delaney Cecco was right behind Khalil in scoring with 14 points. Maddie Peyton and Samme Mullikin also scored for the Falcons. "We played great team defense and as always did a great job of getting out and running the break," said Trainor. Sixth grade center Erin Green led both teams with four blocks.

The PBA Varsity Girls visited Middletown on Sunday, got outscored in the second half 25-11, and ended up losing to the Lady Knights by a final score of 43-28. Playing tough defense during the first half, the Lady Falcons took a 10-9 first quarter lead and held on to 17-17 tie at the half. Poolesville had a tough time getting things started in the second half and scored but two points (from the foul line) in the third quarter. With three minutes remaining in the game, the Falcons found themselves down by eight but could not convert their shots. "Each girl on the team has a job to perform," said Coach Chris Hall. "At practice we talk about that job and work on those specific skills. Unfortunately they are not taking care of their assignments during the game. As a team we are shooting 19%---that's unacceptable and no team will win with that kind of shooting," said Hall. "We have many open looks at the basket but we are just not finishing our shot. Our defense for the most part is pretty solid and once they take care of the fundamentals the wins will occur. The girls have been working hard on their free throws and the effort is showing up in the games. We shot 56% from the charity stripe this week and that is something to write home about." commented Hall. Casey Harkins lead all Poolesville scorers with seven points (going 3-4 from the line). Mollie Bodmer (2-2 from the line) and Karyn Comfort added six each to the effort and Breanne Hall chipped in four (2-4 from the line). Also scoring for Poolesville were Allie Nevius with three and Jami D'Amelio (2-2 from the line) with two points.

The PBA JV Boys fell to Brunswick on Sunday by a final score of 46-33. A tough second quarter, in which the Railroaders outscored the Falcons 13-2, got the ball rolling in the wrong direction and the third quarter wasn't much better. Most of Brunswick's buckets came on transition---a fact not lost on Poolesville Coach John Weber. "From my perspective, our defense was not acceptable today," said Weber. "We played 20 minutes of uninspired ball and maybe eight minutes of adequate ball and we let three players beat us. Those three players scored all but eight of Brunswick's points and a fair amount were in transition." Tucker Ross led the Falcons with 11 points (including nine for 12 from the line), Cole Carmack had seven points, Tim McIntyre, Gage Wolitzky, and Michael McDonald had four each and Pete Barry and Colin Fisher also scored for Poolesville.

The PBA Varsity Boys fell behind early and never recovered in their 48-32 loss on Sunday to Brunswick. "They ran and we couldn't stop them," said Coach Marshall Micheals. 32 of the Railroaders 48 points came in transition---seemingly the theme for the day unfortunately for Poolesville. Joe Soltis led Poolesville with nine points. Kevin Simmons returned to hit for seven points. Jake Armstrong pitched in six points. Nate Onderko, Ryan Bannon, Andrew Bacus, Dylan Landis and Ryan D'Amelio also scored for the Falcons. "Onderko, Bacus, and D'Amelio gave us a nice lift in the fourth quarter," said Micheals. "They played hard so they played more. Joe Soltis gave us a another solid effort too."

PBA JV Boy Michael Morgan beats a Catoctin player to a loose ball. Coach John Weber exhorts his troops to play hard. Varsity Boy Joe Soltis drives for two of his 18 against Catoctin. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints email Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com.

Breanne Hall goes elbow-to-elbow against Oakdale. 6th Grader Erin Green puts those long arms to good use. Photos by Tom Amiot. For reprints email Tom at jcphotoclub@aol.com.

Varsity Boys Fall in Double OT to Cougars Despite 18 from Soltis

The PBA JV Boys shook off a slow start at MSD on Saturday to finish the game on a 44-17 run to win by a final score of 50-23. Poolesville shot almost 30% from the field---a big improvement from their first game loss. Michael McDonald and Michael Collins finished with 10 points each, Tim McIntyre hit for six, Cole Carmack and Jake Drissel each had five, Cole McKenney scored four points and Michael scored three. Jordan Belski, Gage Wolitzky and Tucker Ross also scored.

On Sunday at home against Catoctin, the JV Boys finished with the same result and managed to skip the slow start in getting there. McDonald finished with 11 points and Carmack hit for 10 as the Falcons cruised to a 56-21 win. "We started out a little stronger today but really had a good second quarter," said Coach John Weber. "Defensively we put pressure on the ball which really slowed down the Catoctin offense which was the key winning to this game. Everyone stepped up their defense today." The Falcons ended up shooting 44% from the field in the win. Drissel ended up with eight points, McIntyre, Wolitzky, Morgan, McKenney and Pete Barry finished with four each, Joe Brashear scored three and Belski and Colin Fisher also scored. "We spread the ball around nicely," said Weber.

The Catoctin-Poolesville Varsity game went to double overtime before the visiting Cougars prevailed by a final score of 53-49 of the PBA Varsity Boys. Poolesville opened up an early nine point lead before Catoctin went on a 19-5 run behind 15 first half points by Mike Tylicki (who would go to score a total of 25 for the game). Poolesville stuck tough defender Louis Potts (six points) on Tylicki and Falcon forward Joe Soltis (18 points) started hitting from all over to help tie the game in regulation. Poolesville point guard Justin Souder came up with 11. Ryan Bannon (seven points) and Andrew Bacus hit big three-pointers at critical moments during Poolesville's methodical comeback and in overtime. Nathan Onderko also nailed a driving shot in the lane to pull Poolesville within one late in regulation. Dylan Landis also scored for the Falcons.

Oakdale's JV Girls traveled to Poolesville on Sunday and brought home a 35-26 win. Poolesville's JV Girls trailed by just one at the end of the third period but Oakdale prevailed as the turnover and foul battle went in their favor. Izzie Dadd and Selena Robinson of Oakdale led all scorers with 11 points. Chrissy Marshall chipped in six. Madison Peyton and Hailey Khalil led Poolesville with six points each with Khalil snagging a team high 13 steals. Erin Green scored five points for the Falcons. Delaney Cecco hit for three, and Hannah Bush, Rebekah Trainor, Kate Heimbach and Samme Mullikin also scored. The PBA JV Girls beat Crestwood 20-10 in action on Saturday. Delaney Cecco led the Falcons with six points.

The Oakdale-Poolesville Varsity Girls match-up was a back and forth affair with Oakdale eventually prevailing 38-37. "Our girls played with heart today but they left their ability to finish a shot at home. They will be a dominating force when they take care of the little things. " commented Coach Hall. Oakdale went 8-for-9 from the line in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Mollie Bodmer led Poolesville with 13 hard-earned points. Allie Nevius hit for six and Jami D'Amelio scored five including hitting a crucial three-pointer in the third period to give the Falcons the lead. The PBA Varsity Girls fell to Crestwood 28-25 on Saturday. Poolesvile had three players with five points each----Breanne Hall, Karyn Comfort and Allie Nevius. Lauren Lightcap added four points while Kristen Darragh, Casey Harkins and Christina Hilton each scored two points. "Shooting 22% from the floor [10/44] and 19% from the free throw line [3/16] is not a recipe for a win. I think we'll work on shooting a lot more in practice." commented Coach Hall.

Oakdale Sweeps Opener Against JV, Varsity Boys!

The Oakdale Varsity Boys walked away on Sunday with a 44-36 win against Poolesville in what turned out to be a very physical match-up. The first quarter was a defensive battle which ended with the score tied at six. Both teams continued to play hard aggressive defense in the second quarter and Oakdale took a 14-12 lead into the locker room at the half. Joe Soltis took control for Poolesville in the third quarter scoring 10 of his game leading 22 points in the period. Soltis was perfect from the stripe going 6 for 6 in the game. Jake Armstrong ended the game with five points and Justin Souder contributed four points for Poolesville. "I was happy with how hard our guys played," said Coach Marshall Micheals. "Joe Soltis played like I expect him to. He had a great game and kept us in it. We will be better next time we play these guys"

The PBA JV Boys started off the season with a disappointing loss to Oakdale by the score of 43-17. "We started off really slow and just didn’t seem to have any fire", said Coach John Weber, as the Falcons ended the first half down 17-8. Poolesville's full court pressure couldn't keep it close in the second half as the junior Falcons were outscored 26-9 the rest of the way. Tim McIntyre led all Poolesville scorers with five, followed by Michael McDonald and Pete Barry with four points each and Jake Drissel and Michael Morgan with two each. "It’s really tough to outscore your opponent when you shoot about 7 for 52 from the field, don’t take the ball to the basket (or even look to score when you have the ball) and don’t box out on the boards," said an obviously disappointed Weber. "We have plenty of work to do," said Weber.

• NOTE: Saturday Training Sessions cancelled for 2011-12 due to coaching conflicts. We hope to reschedule again for 2012-13! Thanks for your past patronage! Keep practicing! 
• PBA Winter League Practice Schedules have been posted under "Schedules".
• Open Gym Nights are done for the Fall.
• Summer League Game Results Posted by Team under "Schedules"
• Final 2010-11 Rising Star and Mid-Maryland League Results have been posted under "League Info"
• 2010 Sugarloaf Shootout 8th Grade Boys Holiday Tournament info and Results has been posted under "Tournaments". 

The  PBA End-of-Season Awards Banquet passed out the Most Improved Player Awards and Falcon Awards to the following players: Front Row (from left) Denise Larson, Hailey Khalil, Jake Drissel, Tucker Ross, Nathan Onderko, Cole Carmack, and Logan Rocco (Dale Carnahan Ultimate Falcon Warrior). Middle Row: Danielle Torres, Samme Mullikin, Delaney Cecco, Anna Murgia, Taylor Thomas, Kevin Simmons. Back Row: Breanne Hall, Allie Nevius, Karyn Comfort, Rachel Neville, Steven Morningstar, Joey Cartwright, Zach Long. For the complete list of awards, go to PBA Player Info page.

Congrats to all PBA Players and Coaches for a great 2010-11 season!

PBA Weather Policy---No school, no practice at JPMS or the Church. 

Go to "PBA Player Info" to find a listing of all 2009-10 and 2010-11 PBA Award Winners!

Note: If there is a possibility of a cancellation or postponement due to inclement weather, you will be informed via telephone from your coach. This web site is usually not updated on the weekends, so your coach will have final information. If you a Rising Star player, you can check on the status of your games after 7:00 AM on the day of your game by calling the Montgomery County weather hotline at 240-777-6889.

(Last updated on 1/30/2012 1:00 PM)

The Poolesville Basketball Association (PBA) exists to offer basketball training and advanced playing opportunities to the young people of Poolesville, MD. The PBA fields 6th, 7th and 8th grade Boys and Girls teams who participate in the competitive Winter Mid-Maryland Basketball League, Winter Rising Star League, as well as the Summer Rising Star League. The PBA also helps to provide support and instruction to elementary school-age participants as well.

We are an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that relies on active participation from our membership. The PBA is a proud supporter of the Poolesville Athletic Association (PAA).

Please contact PBA President Bill Bannon or President "Emeritus" Jim Brown, or any other PBA officers and/or coaches for more information. Look under the "Organization" page on this website for contact info.

Questions or Comments? Please click here to email PBA President "Emeritus" Jim Brown.