Falcons beat Tigers for bronze

By Brady Grove, Times Reporter

The George Freeman Falcons boys A basketball team defeated the Trinity Christian Academy Tigers 41-36 in the bronze medal game on Jan. 26 at the George Freeman School’s first ever home basketball tournament.
“The boys really came through and hit our shots,” said Falcons head coach Tim Smith. “They executed the press very well at the end of the game and that was kind of the deciding factor.”
In the final minutes of the game, the Falcons deployed a full court press to limit the Tigers ability to manufacture offense and choke them out. The Tigers kept attacking in attempt to even the score but the Falcons held them off. The Falcons made better shot choices which helped the club succeed against their fellow Strathmore school.
“You always want to put up your best performance against other Strathmore teams,” said Smith. “We always enjoy playing the other teams, especially because there is a rivalry.”
The Falcons had a tough first game and lost 53-18 against the much bigger East Lake Eagles. It was literally an uphill battle for the club in the size department because the Falcons are a young team made up mostly of Grade 7 students and the division goes up to Grade 9.
“All of our boys have shown great work and great competition against boys that are stronger and bigger,” said Smith.
The Falcons were also short three of their strong players because of a funeral, giving them only seven players to start the tournament. According to Smith, it was a nice opportunity for other players on the team to get more floor time and try new things on the court, but it was a big boost to the team when they returned.
Smith praised the staff who worked the score clock, managed the tournament and helped the players throughout the weekend.
George Freeman School will host their second basketball tournament in the school’s young history with the boys B team taking to the court on Feb. 1 and 2.