Poolesville boys avenge earlier loss to Rockville

The Falcons (7-6 overall, 4-3 in the 3A⁄2A⁄1A West) have really come into their own since their 1-3 start to the season — Friday was their second straight win, third in six games. Poolesville starts two sophomores, guards Brendan McFall, who scored a team-high 15 points Friday, and Kevin Baker (12 points), and a junior, 6-foot-4 Chris Soper (10 points). But the three accrued substantial varsity minutes last year and have built on lessons learned in that time this winter.

Led by McFall, Baker, Soper and senior guards Matt Robillard (8 points) and Dan Camillo, the Falcons are playing smart basketball. They’re making the right decisions, looking for the extra pass, waiting for the right opportunities to attack. And that’d been their downfall in the past, rushing when things got tight.

Poolesville has transformed from a group of talented individuals into a smooth-running machine. They’ve settled into their respective roles and have learned to play to each other’s strengths. That’s what separates the stronger teams, and it’s what enabled them to counter every Rams run Friday.

As the Falcons learned in the teams’ previous encounter, records can be deceptive. Rockville (1-14, 1-6 in the 3A⁄2A⁄1A West) certainly plays stronger than its record shows. Though Poolesville led the entire game, Rockville, backed by freshman DeAndre Kelly (14 points), sophomore Rainer Tandaju (8 points) and junior Paul Rosiak (6 points), made some challenges to Poolesville’s lead.

The Falcons opened up a 25-20 halftime advantage to 36-24 early in the fourth quarter. But Rockville cut that lead to four points (40-36) with three minutes left in the game. But the Rams are even younger than Poolesville — none of this year’s starters played varsity last year. And that played a role down the stretch. The Rams didn’t have someone to step in and take control Friday.

‘‘I think a lot of it is confidence and the guys not believing like I believe that they’re as good as they are,” first-year Rockville coach G.J. Kissal said. ‘‘When we’re making these runs, we’re executing and making our shots. We’re consistently getting shots and creating opportunities, it’s just a matter of consistently getting them to fall. We’re looking toward playoffs and being the spoiler.”