Behind stifling pressure defense, and complete control of the glass at both ends of the court, the Flatbush Falcons wore down their guests from HANC, 55-37, in their final pre-season game, and their first on the home court in Brooklyn, NY for the 2014-15 season.
Early on, the two teams looked to be evenly matched and the first quarter was spent with both sizing each other up. Both came with pressure defense, with neither team looking sharp from the perimeter and each tallying a mere 5 points in the opening period. But all the while, the Falcons set a tone for what was to come. Bu the middle of the second quarter, HANC began to show chinks in the armor, as the constant full-court pressure began to wear on the Huirricanes, and when they did manage to get off shots, the inside duo of Meyer Kamkhatchi and Isaac Mizrahi seemed to corral every errant shot. Not long after, two drives from Sam Silverman and one from Bobby Soffer gave the Falcons the beginnings of a cushion. The Hurricanes countered with a big 3-pointer from the outside, but a late drive from Soffer quelled the potential rally, and the Falcons took a 5-point lead into the locker room at the half, 18-13.
Following a blueprint set out last season, the Falcons dominated the 3rd stanza, with the pressure defense holding the opponents to a total of 6 points, while Soffer, Elliot Beyda and Allan Maleh recorded key points off of Hurricane turnovers. Maleh's buzzer beating turn-around jumper closed out the scoring, as the Falcons put up 18 points for a commanding 36-19 lead.
The final period showed that the coaches may have additional hands on deck to rely on, as reserves Eli Cattan, Victor Cohen and Joe Cayre all were "instant offense" off the benck, with each hitting their first shots, and Cattan recording 7 points in the quarter. The Falcons put it in cruise control the rest of the way, and though the defense yielded 18 points, the offense kept pace, netting 19 on the way to the 55-37 victory.
