OAKLEY, CA - Freedom guard Jared Stokes led the way for the Falcons offense yet again, finishing with a team-high 13 points, to lift Freedom (6-0) to a 52-50 non-league victory over Monte Vista (3-2).
"I thought we played well," said Freedom coach Drew Torres. "Anytime you beat Monte Vista it's a good win. We limited our turnovers and shot 6-of-12 from three-point."
Two clutch free throws by Stokes and six fourth-quarter points from Andrew Mork provided the difference, sealing a huge non-league win for Freedom, at the end of a back-and-forth final quarter of play.
The Falcons offense started slow, scoring only 10 points in the first quarter, as Monte Vista would take an early 13-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. The fast start was led by senior forward Ashton Rust, who had six first quarter points, and finished with a team-high 12 points.
Freedom would start fast in the second quarter, however, outscoring Monte Vista 17-11, as nine of those points came from Stokes, to give the Falcons a 27-24 lead entering halftime.
It was a back-and-forth third quarter, but the Mustangs would outscore Freedom 15-12, to tie the game at 39 heading into the fourth quarter.
"We did a good job of limiting our fouls," said Torres. "We only put them on the line nine times and we got to the line 14 times."
Freedom returns to action this coming Friday, when it hosts the Roy Ghiggeri Tournament, opening against Burlingame, while Marin Catholic and Folsom face off in the other semifinal. Monte Vista has another big non-league test on Friday, facing Oakland Tech.
