Falcons remain undefeated in WPAC

EAST BEND — If one thing can be said about the Forbush Falcons men’s basketball team, it is that they are consistent. This season the Falcons were poised as the underdogs and did not seem to be on anyone’s radar as contenders in the Western Piedmont Athletic Conference. Now, four games into the season, the Falcons are making people put their foot where their mouth is. For the first time in over ten years, the Falcons have started their season 5-0. Although this season is different in many ways, the Falcons have never been undefeated in the first five games of conference play.

The fifth win in a row came last week as the Falcons (5-0) hosted North Surry (4-1) in an important WPAC game. Both teams were coming in with zero losses on the board. North Surry put up a tough fight, but the home team was tougher. Forbush put up the points it needed to earn a 76-70 win over the Greyhounds.

Forbush started the first quarter with a basket by Caleb Boles for a 2-0 lead. North Surry then answered back with a basket of their own which made it a 2-2 game. The Falcons then put up a free throw and a basket to take a 5-2 lead with six minutes left to play. The back and forth momentum between Forbush and North Surry continued over the next three minutes, with both teams racking up points. When the clock hit the sixth minute, Forbush started to pick up its tempo. Casey Graham tied the game 13-13 with a shot from the key, then Cannon Doub added a jump shot to give the Falcons a 15-13 lead. Before the quarter was completed, Peyton Compton added a perfect three pointer from the top of the arc. Compton’s shot fell through the hoop, and the Falcons led North Surry 18-13 after one quarter.

Thins started to pick up in the second quarter of action, with the Greyhounds scoring the first points of off two free throws. Doub was able to extend Forbush’s lead back out to five points with two free throws of his own from the charity stripe. A minute later, Forbush was back on offense with the ball at Joe Hennings’ hands. Hennings made a move in the middle of the lane for a jump shot which fell through the net. Just 20 seconds after Hennings’ basket, the Falcons had the ball once again on their side of the court. Compton passed the ball down low to Hennings, who used his size to out power his defender and make his way to the basket. Hennings’ shot fell through the net and the Falcons led North Surry 24-18 with 4:50 left in the second quarter.

As the clock kept ticking, North Surry pulled within four points of the Falcons. Forbush extended its lead back to six points with a shot by Doub, but the Greyhounds kept getting stronger on offense. North Surry tied the game 31-31 with less than a minute on the clock before halftime. The Falcons had the ball in their possession and were racing down the court. The clock hit less than 30 seconds when Compton passed the ball off to Graham and made a move around the outside. Graham passed the ball back to Compton who was wide open just outside the lane. Compton put his shot off the backboard and it went through the net to give the Falcons 33-31 lead at the halftime break.

Out of halftime, the Falcons turned up the heat in the gym. The home team outscored the Greyhounds 27-17 in eight minutes of play. Five different Forbush players put up points in the third quarter, with Compton leading the way with 12 points. Brandley Luna, Aiden Lyon, Graham, and Doub all added points of their own to give the Falcons a 60-48 lead after three quarters.

Although the Falcons had put up 27 points in the third quarter, the fourth quarter was a different story. North Surry came out and scored seven points to come within five points of the Falcons. Forbush then answered back with a scoring run of their won which lasted over four minutes. Graham started the run with two free throws from the charity stripe, which was followed up with a three pointer by Doub from the left side. Forbush held a 65-55 lead over North Surry with four minutes left in the game.

The Falcons continued its display of power with a continuation of offensive plays. Doub added another two points, then put up a free throw to compete a three point play. The Falcons then had a shot by Compton and two sets of free throws by Dawson Graham. As the game came to an end, the Falcons handed North Surry its first loss of the season with a 76-70 win.

This is Forbush’s best start since the 1980’s, when the Falcons went 6-0 to start the season. Forbush’s next game will be Feb. 2 at home against North Forsyth.