Faribault guard Nolan Vogelsberg is just one of many sophomores that have helped contribute for the Falcons this season. Faribault closed out its season with a Section 1AAA quarterfinals loss to Stewartville. (file photo/southernminn.com)
The Section 1AAA boys basketball tournament opened on Tuesday night, and the Faribault Falcons saw their season come to an early end, losing 69-29 in the quarterfinals to the Stewartville Tigers.
Going into the game, the Falcons were coming off a rough regular season, which led to them receiving the No. 8 seed to open section play. Stewartville was in a different position after the Tigers went 22-4 and got ranked No. 11 in Class AAA basketball.
Faribault guard Nolan Vogelsberg is just one of many sophomores that have helped contribute for the Falcons this season. Faribault closed out its season with a Section 1AAA quarterfinals loss to Stewartville. (file photo/southernminn.com)
The top-seeded and nearly top 10 ranked Tigers showed they they’re contending for the section title and pushing for a state appearance in the first half, where Stewartville built up a 48-8 lead over the Falcons going into halftime.
While the Falcons doubled their scoring in the second half, there wasn’t much to be done against the Tigers and Faribault saw its season come to an end with its quarterfinals loss.
The loss stings and to make things harder, the Falcons were also forced to say goodbye to their senior core that consisted of guard Riley Mason, forwards Ian Ehlers, Jimmy Welborn, Beau Schrot and center Jal Giet.
Faribault will have to find a way to fill the holes in the lineup that’ll be left by the departing senior class, but the Falcons will have some bright spots moving forward.
Outside of the five seniors, Faribault played with a young roster composed mainly sophomores and freshmen.
Sophomore guards Nolan Vogelsberg and Brady Schulz stepped up to help run the backcourt, while sophomore forward Mohamed Madey proved to be a top scoring option throughout the season. Guard Breuer Wolff helped contribute as just a freshman.
The Falcons are building a core of players that’ll help lead the team for years to come as they look to start adding more wins to the record.
