Falcon boys drop to 0-2 with hoop loss to Bellevue

"Trailing by only three points late in the third quarter, the South Whidbey boys basketball team stopped Bellevue Christian from scoring on six straight possessions. Unfortunately, the Falcons’ ensuing half-dozen trips down the floor the other way produced only four turnovers and two missed shots.Bellevue Christian then went on to score eight unanswered points to end the quarter on their way to an eventual 68-49 triumph over the Falcons in a non-conference game Tuesday.“We played them pretty tough, defensively we did better than against Coupeville,” said first-year South Whidbey coach Brian Kissinger. The loss dropped the Falcons to 0-2 for the year and set the stage for last night’s North Cascade League opener on the road last night against last year’s Class 1A state champion Lynden Christian, which has since moved up to the 2A division. The Falcons play another league contest tonight at home against Sultan.With senior Brian Moote hampered by early foul trouble, the bulk of the scoring fell to 6-foot-4 Dan Levine, who led the Falcons with 18 points. No other South Whidbey player reached double figures.Six –two sophomore Tim Gabelein, making his first varsity start, had six points and a team-high five rebounds for the Falcons, who battled Bellevue Christian to a near standoff in the rebounding department.“It was pretty even on the boards, which was a big improvement,” said Kissinger, although he added that the Falcons were hurt by turnovers (28) and three-point shooting (0-for-5).I feel like we’re competing pretty well, we haven’t quit in either game,” said Kissinger. “We’ve got some good young kids. Tim and (sophomore) Colin (Murphy) bring an energy to the game. Colin makes things happen.”Tonight’s tip off is set for 7:30."

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