PHEBA — Sophomore Rebekah Falkner does a little bit of everything for the Hebron Christian School girls basketball team.
A scorer, a distributor, a top-notch defender, and a team leader, Falkner rarely runs out of ways to affect a game for the Lady Eagles (15-4).
But she gets stumped when asked to describe what makes her game so unstoppable.
“I don’t know,” Falkner said. “I just love playing basketball.”
But when it comes to her teammates, particularly fellow sophomore Holly Hudson, Falkner can’t stop bragging.
“She plays so hard, she never, ever quits,” Falkner said. “She is somebody that will do anything for the team, whether it’s defense or rebounding or whatever. She gives everything she has.”
Likewise, Hudson was equally effusive in her praise for Falkner.
“She’s just a great player all the way around,” Hudson said. “I’ve been playing with her basically for the entire time I’ve been playing basketball. I love playing with her.”
The fun Falkner and Hudson have playing together was on display last week at the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class A, District 3-A tournament at Central Academy in Macon.
On the girls side, Falkner scored 28 points in victories against Columbus Christian and Central Academy, while Hudson did her part with 10 steals in the district title game to lift Hebron Christian to the District 3 championship.
On the boys side, rapidly improving junior Clay Faulkner scored 18 points in consecutive games, including the tournament finale against Columbus Christian, to leading the Eagles to their 16th win of the season and the district title.
For their accomplishments, the trio shares The Dispatch’s Player of the Week honors.
“I’ve been trying to become more of a team leader,” said Faulkner, the second-leading scorer on the boys team at a little more than 11 points per game. “I always try to get everybody involved and then score when the opportunity presents itself. The shots were there for me this weekend.”
Faulkner’s hot shooting, which resulted in tournament MVP honors, lifted Hebron Christian past top-seeded Columbus Christian. It was the Eagles’ first win in three tries against the Rams this season.
“It felt great,” Faulkner said. “We lost to them twice this year, and both of them stung pretty good. But we knew we could beat them, and it all came together.”
It has come together at exactly the right time for Hebron Christian’s boys, who will enter the MAIS Class A North State tournament at Humphreys Academy as the No. 1 seed out of District 3. Hebron Christian will meet Delta Streets Academy out of Greenwood.
For Hebron Christian coach Bruce Franks, the emergence of Faulkner as a primary scoring option has taken the team to another level.
“He is starting to really take over some of the scoring load,” Franks said. “He brings a lot to the table. All season long, we’ve had very good post play with Channing Tapley and Landon Hill, and we’ve sometimes needed somebody outside to balance that scoring out. Clay is doing that.”
For the soft-spoken Faulkner, the Player of the Week award is a product of playing his game.
“I feel like one of my strengths is I don’t get tired,” Faulkner said. “I can run and run and still be ready to go. That has been big for me in getting open shots outside.”
While Hebron Christian’s boys surprised the top seed, the girls team entered the tournament as the favorite. With Hudson and Falkner leading a team that starts four sophomores and a junior, Hebron Christian cruised to the title. Falkner had 15 points against Columbus Christian and 13 against Central Academy.
“She is so fundamentally sounds,” Franks said of Falkner, the team’s second-leading scorer at 12 points per game this season. “She can shoot it, she can pass it, she can get to the rim. She is a very gifted basketball player, and the game comes very naturally to her.”
For Falkner, the award is a product of Hebron Christian’s team-first philosophy.
“It feels good to get this award, but really it’s all because of the whole team,” Falkner said. “We really can’t do it alone. I think this team has really started playing well at the right time.”
Hudson isn’t asked to shoulder the scoring load. Instead, she does everything else. Some nights that might mean defending the opponent’s best player. Some nights that might mean pressuring the ball and creating turnovers, like she did against Central Academy.
“She does so many things that don’t show up in the scorebook,” Franks said. “She had 10 steals the other night. Ten. That’s a huge reason we won the game. She understands the game so well and has such a high basketball IQ, that when you add her hustle and the way she plays, you’ve got a very good player.”
Asked to describe her game, Hudson was nearly as quiet as Falkner.
“Well, I’m tall,” Hudson said. “I think that’s one advantage I have. I just love to play, and I love to win.”
Also a No. 1 seed, Hebron Christian’s girls will take on Central Holmes at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Franks said the team’s success in the tournament success helped validate something he believed earlier in the season.
“The best thing is both of our teams are playing to their potential,” Franks said. “I knew coming into the season that both squads could be strong, and they are showing that. We may be peaking at just the right time.”
n Oak Hill Academy basketball teams advance: At Cleveland, the Oak Hill Academy girls and boys basketball teams earned wins Monday night to stay alive in the MAIS Class AA North (Districts 1 and 2) tournament at Bayou Academy.
The Oak Hill Academy girls beat Bayou Academy 51-24. They will play Riverfield Academy at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The Oak Hill Academy boys beat Kirk Academy 40-28. They will play Riverfield Academy at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
n In other action, the Starkville Academy boys basketball team beat Copiah Academy 73-48 in the opening round of the Class AAA North tournament at Hillcrest Christian. Starkville Academy will play Oak Forest (La.) at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The Heritage Academy girls and boys basketball teams lost in their first games to see their seasons end.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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