Boys Basketball: Falcons extend win streak to four

The Sierra Lutheran boys' basketball team extended its winning streak to four games with a come-from-behind victory at Excel Christian Tuesday night.

The Falcons trailed by four to six points for most of the game, but made some big plays during the fourth quarter to stage a big comeback in the win.

"Our ability to handle 32 minutes of various presses, our solid defense and our composure down the stretch were the keys to the win," Sierra Lutheran coach Norm Brauer said.

Taylor Love hit two free throws with 19 seconds remaining to clinch the win.

Zane Waite led the Falcons in scoring with 14 points. He received offensive support from Lane Pawloski (8) and Bob DePaoli (6). Pawloski controlled the inside during the game, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking six shots.

Over the weekend, the Falcons won the Gerlach Invitational with wins over the host team and Austin.

In the first round, seven players scored for the Falcons, led by Waite with 17, sophomore Jonah Young with 14 and DePaoli with 10.

Sierra Lutheran jumped out to a 23-5 lead in the first quarter and closed out with a 61-35 win.

The championship game the next night produced a drastically different style as Sierra Lutheran won 15-14.

"Both teams played zone defense and both were extraordinarily patient on offense," Brauer said. "Both clubs shot the ball very poorly, resulting in the second-lowest scoring game in my 35-year coaching career."

Waite and DePaoli, with 6 and 5 points respectively, led the Falcons in scoring.

Waite was named the tournament MVP and Love was named to the all-tournament team.

This weekend, Sierra Lutheran travels to the Austin Tournament where it will play Tonopah and Spring Mountain in the first two rounds.