“Falcon basketballDecember 8Lynden Christian 30, 19, 15, 12 — 76S. Whidbey 14, 7, 9, 6 — 36Scoring: T. Gabelein 14, Ellis 10, B. Perkins 3, Turner 3, Spivikov 2, Gathings 2, Holder 2Rebounds:T. Gabelein 7, Coleman 4, B. Perkins 3 December 9Sultan 11, 6, 17, 11 — 45S. Whidbey 15, 12, 10, 6 — 43 Scoring: T. Gabelein 24, Turner 7, B. Gabelein 4, Ellis 4, Gathings 2, B. Perkins 2 Josh Coleman (right) gets low to frustrate the Lyncs offense.Matt Johnson/staff photos It’s been a tough two weeks for the South Whidbey boys basketball team. On Friday and Saturday, the team lost its fourth and fifth games of the season. But after falling just two points short against Sultan in the weekend game, it is obvious that this year’s varsity squad will not have to wait long to put that first tick mark in the win column. Coming back from a 40-point home court drubbing the night before against Lynden Christian, the Falcons nearly nipped the Sultan Turks Saturday night on the road, but fell victim to foul trouble late in the game to lose the 45-43 contest. During the first half, the Falcons played their best basketball of the season, holding the Turks to 5 of 25 shooting while building their own 27-17 lead. Junior Timmy Gabelein led the way, using his 6 feet, 4 inches of height to shove 16 of his eventual game-high 24 points down the throat of the Turk defense. But starting with the opening whistle in the second half, the Turks began to take the Falcons’ game away, spreading them on defense to open wide lanes to the basket. The strategy worked and the Turks outscored the Falcons 17-10 in the third quarter. While the defensive story started to sour, the Falcons’ scoring did the same. Gabelein’s 8 second-half points along with Brandon Turner’s 7 points were not enough to keep the Falcons on top. The Turks sneaked by on late three-pointers and sealed the deal at the buzzer with a two-pointer. The night before against Lynden Christian, one of the best 2A teams in the state, South Whidbey found itself in trouble early, falling behind 30-14 after the first quarter. The most the Falcon defense could do was slow the Lyncs, fouling the team’s scorers repeatedly to force them to the free throw line. The strategy worked in the second and third quarters as defenders Brett Perkins, Trevor Ellis, and George Spivikov got in the Lyncs’ way, reducing their production to under 20 points in both quarters. Unfortunately, the South Whidbey offense was never able to catch up. Timmy Gabelein did most of the scoring, putting up 14 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Ellis also scored in double digits, putting up 10. But by midway through the third quarter, the Lyncs were sitting atop a 32 point lead. With no other Falcons threatening to score more than a couple field goals in the game, there was no chance of a comeback.Coach Andy Davis gave his boys credit for playing hard throughout the entire game. He said it is always difficult to play such a good team so early in the season. But we battled all night long, he said. South Whidbey’s younger players did manage to pick up their first wins this season. Both the Falcon freshman and junior varsity squads won their games against Sultan’s teams.The Falcons play next on Friday against Lakewood. The two teams play at South Whidbey High School. Varsity action starts at 7:30 p.m. Freshman and junior varsity games start at 5:45 p.m. “