A second half surge in the third quarter allowed the Nation Ford Falcons to get a 57-52 win over the Marvin Ridge Mavericks Tuesday.
Marvin Ridge started the game strong jumping out to a 12-2 lead. Nation Ford went on a small run, but turnovers hurt their momentum.
Offensive consistency was an issue for Nation Ford early on as they were down by 10 points after the first quarter at 20-10.
The Falcons consistency improved in the second quarter as they were able to use their height to get to the basket better and cut into the Marvin Ridge lead.
At times turnovers plagued Nation Ford in the quarter. Nation Ford was held to just 17 total shots from the field in the first half, most of which was caused by turnovers and only getting one shot off per possession as the Falcons trailed 28-20 at the half.
In the third quarter, turnovers improved for the Falcons and they were able to work the ball inside to Caden Giles more allowing them to get a higher percentage of baskets and cut the Mavericks lead down to just two at 32-30 before a Marvin Ridge timeout.
Jackson Burnham started to find a groove in the third quarter and helped to pace Nation Ford as they went on a 19-4 run in the first seven minutes of the third quarter.
“We had to come out with more intensity,” said Nation Ford head boys coach Charles Brown. “We had to feed the ball into the post. Jackson getting hot is what broke the game open for us.”
The Falcons led 43-35 after the quarter as Burnham scored 12 points in the period.
Marvin Ridge put a run together to open the fourth quarter. The Falcons were able to continue to get to the basket using backdoor cuts and kept the Mavericks on their heels. Nation Ford was able to rebound better in the second half limiting Marvin Ridge’s opportunities.
As the Mavericks increased their defensive pressure, turnovers again started to become a factor for Nation Ford. Marvin Ridge pulled within one at 51-50 with about a minute left in the game. Foul shots in the fourth quarter were key as Nation Ford was perfect hitting all eight shots.
Burnham led the Falcons with 21 points as Giles had 12 points in the win as well. Nation Ford improved to 7-7 on the season.
Lady Falcons fall hard in return home
The Marvin Ridge Lady Mavericks made quick work of the Lady Falcons with a 70-39 win in the first sporting contest for 2024 for Nation Ford.
Marvin Ridge opened the game up with an 11-0 start as Nation Ford struggled with turnovers early.
“We had a bad start and we were never able to catch back up,” said Nation Ford head girls coach Kelly Bennett. “We got to bounce back. We can’t beat ourselves.”
The Lady Falcons were also slow to get back on defense leading to fast break points for the Mavericks.
Nation Ford started 0-6 from the field before Aubrey Morrow scored the team’s first field goal with about two minutes left in the first period.
Marvin Ridge took the early control and used it to their advantage taking a 17-3 lead to the second quarter. The Falcons played better to open the quarter cutting the lead to 11 with about six minutes left in the half.
Nation Ford started to get better looks at the basket and began hitting shots they missed in the opening quarter.
It didn’t take the Mavericks long to find another gear as they again started to pull away. Marvin Ridge started to capitalize on Nation Ford turnovers again hitting 3-pointers to widen the gap and take a 37-19 lead at the half.
Marvin Ridge started the second half like the first going on a 7-0 run. Nation Ford had a hard time on both ends of the floors. On defense, Marvin Ridge was better at getting rebounds and second chance points, while in offense the Falcons had just one consistent scorer in Ariah Heard.
Heard scored 10 of the Falcons 12 points in the quarter as the Mavericks led 57-31 to start the final period. Heard led Nation Ford with 17 points, which fell to 9-5.
The Falcons next play at East Meck Friday, Jan. 5.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
