The high school boys basketball team may have ended the regular season with a rare loss, but head coach Jeffrey Bonner said the team’s outlook is sky high moving into the state tournament.

The Falcons dropped a March 1 road outing against Scottsdale Christian by a final score of 59-44, moving to an 11-3 season record and 6-2 in region play, good enough for the number two spot.

The local boys enter the state tournament in front of the home crowd tonight, March 10, with a 7 p.m. game against American Leadership Academy – Gilbert North. If successful, they will play again this Saturday, March 13, against the winner of the Winslow vs. Northwest Christian Academy match-up.

Looking back at the season closer, Bonner said the loss to Scottsdale Christian was “tough.”

“We fought hard, but never seemed to have gotten on the same page throughout the game,” Bonner said. “It was an environment that I believe will really prepare us for the games to come.”

Bonner noted that it was Scottsdale Christian’s senior night, which meant a big crowd for the opposition.

“They were into the game the whole time,” he continued. “It was loud and the players had to work hard to hear each other, as well as the coaching staff.”

While the Falcons did not experience too many games in the loss column this season, Bonner said he felt every game up to this point, especially those losses, has helped prepare his squad for the state tournament matches to come.

“We have been working on the things we can get better at and we know, if we can control what we can control, we will be prepared for anything,” Bonner said, adding that the Falcons are eager to take on ALAGN. “They are a good team, but I truly believe we can beat anyone who steps on the court with us throughout this playoff run.

“If the boys come locked in and focused on the task at hand, we are a hard team to beat.”