The Falls High School boys' basketball team opened its 2021 season with a 78-67 victory over the Mesabi East Giants Friday evening.

Stat leaders 

  • Cullen Rein - 21 points (8 field goals and 5 free throws)
  • Knute Boerger - 19 points (4 field goals, 3 three pointers and 2 free throws)
  • Riley Larson - 14 points (4 field goals, 3 free throws and 1 three pointer)

Game summary 

The score was kept close throughout most of the first half, with both teams trading points.

The Broncos maintained a slight lead in the first half, but the Giants stayed in the running with key three-pointers.

Late in the first half, the Broncos extended their lead to 10 points thanks to a Giant technical foul.

The Giants roared back at the start of the second half, starting things with a 9-2 run.

However, the Broncos came back with a run of their own to gain their lead back.

The Giants were unable to find the success behind the three-point line they had in the first half, but the Broncos had scoring struggles of their own, keeping them from running away with the game.

Towards the home stretch, the Broncos extended their lead to a state where the visitors were not able to come back from, sealing the win.

Coach's comments 

Head coach Don Rolando said he's very happy to start his career as Bronco head coach with a win.

"The kids really came out and played hard," he said. "We made some good adjustments in the second half and it ended up in a great win."

Rolando went on to say he wants his team to work on their shooting defense.

"We need to get on the other team's shooters," he said. "They made a lot of three's on us tonight. We need to get better on rebounding and boxing out, along with cutting down on turnovers."

Up next 

The Broncos will be back on the court at 7:30 p.m. tonight when they visit the Warroad Warriors.

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