The Prairie Falcons dominated their school district rival, Battle Ground High School, by 50 points on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
The Falcons showed total dominance, taking a first-half lead of 25 points into the locker room and then coming out and dropping another 34 points in the third quarter over the Tigers. The end result ultimately landed at 105-54 in just 32 minutes of high school basketball action.
Prairie was led by 6-foot-8-inch senior forward Carson Morningstar with 32 points in the contest.
Falcons head coach Jimmy Tuominen has come to expect big nights from Morningstar over the years, but with Morningstar kicking off his senior campaign, Tuominen highlighted his growth as a teammate and leader.
“I’ve really noticed a lot of growth in terms of talking to guys, helping them through things, really holding them accountable to the standard of the program that we’ve set,” Tuominen said of Morningstar. “But really just his talk, and really being a leader on the floor, making sure guys are where they need to be on the floor and making sure that we stay organized and just the communication on the floor; it’s like really kind of having another assistant coach on the floor at times.”
For Tuominen, the lopsided win served as a great opportunity to see different faces then themselves in game speed. But it also served as a chance to play in a true rocking atmosphere since the matchup was solely a Battle Ground Public Schools district affair with the Prairie gym filled to the gills.
“This is the second year in a row where we’ve opened the season playing Battle Ground,” Tuominen said. “Last year we were at their place, you know. This year here. But to be able to do that, I think we’re hoping we’re going to continue that tradition. It’s a great way to start the season, to get kids playing at 7 o’clock. Even the younger teams had a big, full crowd. The band is playing, there is not a better environment for kids to get an opportunity. That’s what high school sports is all about.”
A major emphasis for the Falcons this season will be “rebound, run and share it,” Tuominen explained. He said the first half was great for rebounding and running, but the second half, especially the third quarter score, was indicative of the success of sharing the rock, too.
To help with rebounding, pure athleticism completes the entire roster. A pregame lay-up line is truly a dunk line for the vast majority of the varsity squad for the Falcons.
“We’re pretty quick, we’re long, the guys have done a pretty good job committing themselves to the weight room and doing some other things around speed and quickness to get it to this point,” Tuominen said. “I think we have a lot of different pieces that can do a lot of different things.”
The Falcons followed up their performance with an X-X win/loss at Arlington High School on Saturday, Dec. 6. They next played Union High School on Tuesday, Dec. 9, but results were unavailable as of press time. The Falcons will collide with Skyview High School on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m.
The Battle Ground Tigers followed their season-opening loss with a 68-58 win against Heritage High School on Thursday, Dec. 4. The Tigers next host W.F. West High School (Chehalis) on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.
