Last night, the Fallston Cougars took down the North Harford Hawks in an electric matchup in our very own Cougar Den with a score of 42-28. This game allowed the Cougars to take back their Regional Champion title and continue their playoff run.
Fallston’s standout center, Ayla Galloway, had a triple double, leading the team with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 steals. Galloway’s performance follows an unforgettable night that will be remembered in the record books as the senior reached 1000 points last Friday night against C. Milton. Sophomore Brooke Bolesta and Freshman Maura Lawall added 9 points each as well, leading the Cougars to their victory.
The Den was packed for the win, with the student section led by passionate basketball fans, Tanner Boyd and Max Rueckert. The spectators averaged 3 “You Can’t Do Thats” a quarter and had 4 “Cougar Nations” in the Regional win. “The energy in the den was very high, which we weren’t used to,” says Bolesta.
The energy in the gym was palpable from the get-go. The Cougars hustled from the beginning, tying up any loose balls and playing aggressive defense to lock down the Hawks. Both teams had some trouble finding the bucket in the first quarter, ending with a low scoring 13-7 (Fallston leading) going into the second quarter.
The game somehow got even more intense going into the second quarter, both teams struggling to stay out of foul trouble, causing some controversy amongst the coaches and refs. However, the Cougars pushed on and continued to score, going into halftime with a 9-point lead, 24-15.
Going into the third quarter, the momentum seemed to shift in the Hawks’ favor as they were able to keep the Cougars to only 5 points in the quarter. But in true Cougar fashion, the defense continued to lock down, getting steals left and right and keeping the Hawks to 7 points despite their growing momentum. The game was 29-22 at the end of the quarter.
However, Fallston wasn’t done yet. The Cougars took back control of the game in the fourth quarter, showing impressive ball movement and continuing their elite defense. The Hawks were holding on for dear life with just 1 minute and 40 seconds left in the quarter, down by only 7, but the Cougars coach, State Champion Johnny Woods, was able to draw up a play during a time out which led to a beautiful give-and-go to Bolesta. A bucket from Leah Rhinehart and an insane and-one from Lawall sealed the win, as the Cougars finalized the game with a score of 42-28.
“Everyone sees all the accomplishments on the court, but it’s really about the bonds and relationships and work put in off the court,” Galloway says. The team will always tell you that team bonding has been an integral part of their success, and even when they’re struggling on the court, they can pick each other up and move on.
“[Tonight] was a little bit of a rough game, but all that matters is that we pulled out the win,” Bolesta says. Come out and support the Lady Cougars in the State Quarterfinals this Saturday in The Den!
