The Fountain Hills High School boys basketball team fell to No. 1 Valley Christian 64-52 last Friday in the state semifinals. The No. 5 Falcons played a close game against the eventual state champions, but their season still ended a day earlier than they wanted.

The Falcons had their hands full with Caleb Shaw, a Valley Christian senior who transferred from Tennessee last summer. Shaw’s father and uncle are coaches for the Grand Canyon University men’s basketball team, and Shaw stood out during the summer league. The Falcons got another good look at him in their season opener, and they threw every defender and combination at Shaw in the semi-finals to limit the scoring from the future University of Northern Colorado player.

The Times could not find a point total for Shaw in the semifinals, but head coach Jeff Bonner believes his team kept Shaw under his average. On Saturday, Shaw had 31 points, 10 rebounds, two blocked shots and he led his team to a 61-56 comeback championship victory over No. 2 Coolidge.

The Falcons put senior Xavier Mike, their leader and best defender, on Shaw to start the game. Mike is smaller than Shaw, but he only allowed one easy shot, a transition three-pointer in the first quarter. When Shaw started to attack the paint, the Falcons brought double teams and other defenders onto Shaw. The problem was that Shaw is a great passer, too, and he would pass out of double-teams and find open teammates to knock down shots.

The Falcons held a 14-13 lead after the first quarter, but the Trojans found some momentum and took a 30-26 lead into halftime. Five Falcons had scored by this point, led by senior JT Mitchell who made three three-pointers in the first half.

The Trojans came out of the break with renewed energy, and they tried to confuse the Falcons with multiple defensive looks. Senior Alex Rieck only scored three points, but he drove to the basket in the third quarter and got fouled for a three-point play that kept the Falcons in the game.

“They just kept switching between man and zone,” Rieck said. “We had to figure out what it was and try to run our sets. They kind of played back, too, so it was harder to drive.”

Outside of Mike, the Falcons put sophomore Keaton Ort on Shaw as a single defender. Bonner was impressed by the heart showed by his underclassman, but Ort fouled out late in the third quarter and the Falcons were down one of their better shooters for the fourth quarter.

The Falcons found themselves down 43-33 with 2:49 left in the third quarter, but they managed to bring the lead within single digits, 47-39, to start the final quarter.

The Falcons couldn’t find space for an open shot in the fourth quarter, and junior Aiden Logan and sophomore Mitchell Perkins kept their hopes alive by going to the free throw line seven combined times. The two made eight out of 13 attempts.

Mike hit his lone three-pointer with 2:54 left to play and he brought the game withing six points. Logan only went to the free throw line once in the last three minutes, compared to Valley Christian’s sophomore Luke Shaw, who made 10/10 free throws in the last three minutes to close out the game.

“It seemed like the ball was bouncing their way, and their players were able to knock down those big shots,” Bonner said. “Almost every single key moment that they had, too, even leading to the free throws late by Luke. He was a killer at that line, and he didn’t miss. You need guys to miss, and they didn’t do that, so hats off to them.”

The last few minutes were tough for the Falcons. They watched Valley Christian slowly pull away with free-throw shooting, and the realization that their season was over crept into their minds.

The Falcons’ tears were real, and nearly everyone was crying after the game. It was a bittersweet moment, because Bonner saw exactly what he wanted to in the post-game locker room. Freshmen cried because they will miss the seniors, and seniors cried because they want to practice with their team and coaches again. Only Mike had dry eyes leaving the locker room, but he still gave a heartfelt speech to his team.

“First off, I was surprised,” Bonner said. “We haven’t had many guys be vocal in locker rooms and talk for the most part. You always want somebody to step up and be that vocal leader, but you put people in positions and tell them, ‘you have to say this.’ At that moment, it was not that. The leader of our team stepped up and truly told the guys how he felt.”

According to Bonner, Mike told the Falcons “We worked really hard. There’s nothing to hang our heads on. The next group has to work harder.” Bonner also said he was more emotional at the end of this season than ever before, because this group of seniors – everyone from Mike, Rieck and Mitchell to Jared Reichler, Zack Langer and Jake Barnard – were the first group he has coached from freshman to senior year.

Two years in a row, the Falcons’ season ended in the state semifinals. Bonner said that last year there was not a full playoff bracket due to COVID-19, so even though they reached the same point, the Falcons went through more playoff teams to get where they got this year. The Falcons ended their season 22-7, and Bonner believes this was the first 20-win team in his head coaching career.

The Falcons expect to be back for another playoff run next year, and they have plenty of young players who will be seasoned veterans next season. Logan scored a team high on Friday with 14 points, and Perkins added 13. Ort had six points before fouling out, and the seniors only combined for 17 of the 52 total points.

“The way we coach these kids, I feel like we can win a state championship every single year,” Bonner said. “I don’t want to say rebuild, but probably more reload. We have to rest, put the ammo back in the chamber, and then we’ll be back for another shot.”