Florence Falcon Basketball vs. Austin 12/12/25

[0:00] I think, I don't think they're boring. It's time for Florence Falcons Basketball on Sports Radio 93.9 The Score. Florence Falcons Basketball on 93.9 The Score is brought to you by Florence Utilities, Florence City Schools, the law firm of Johnson, Pasture, Medley and Birchel, Lost Pizza, North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, TNT Fireworks, Yogurt Mountain, Whataburger, Singing River Dentistry, Bank Independent, Irons Electric, Cypress Creek Indoor Range and Hennigar Johnson and Layton Insurance. Now let's go live to Courtside. Here's the voice of the Falcons, Kevin Johnson. Good evening on this Friday night here at the Coffee Gym where the Florence Falcons getting ready to tangle with the Black Bears of Austin in a key area matchup here tonight in Class 7A basketball.

Both teams warming up. We're a little late getting on the air. Had a lot of activities going on but we're excited to be with you tonight and it's going to be a good one between the Falcons and the Black Bears here at the Coffee Gym. You're listening to the TNT Fireworks pregame show. We're back in two minutes. Florence Utilities offers several ways to view and pay your utility bill. Log into your account to sign up for paperless, auto pay, text pay to make your life easier. When you go green and go paperless, you will no longer have paper bills to fill up your mailbox and you'll be helping the environment. To continue receiving a paper bill and an electronic bill notification, sign up for text pay. Add your email address to your account. Easily view and pay your bill by clicking on the link in the text or email notification. Visit FlorenceAL.org and select Utilities to register for an account or call 256-760-6512 for more information. This is Miranda Haddock with the Florence Education Foundation. We invite you to support our Friends of the Foundation campaign. As a friend of the Foundation, you can contribute any amount to help fund classroom needs in Florence City schools. Please visit our website at FlorenceEducationFoundation.org to explore our new giving levels and the added perks available.

We want to wish Coach Burleson and the entire Falcon basketball team good luck this season. Hello, my name is Keith Medley and I'm an attorney with the law firm of Johnson, Passeur, Medley and Burchill. Why call an out-of-town lawyer when you can call our law firm, which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law. If you have a legal matter, please call me or Leslie Johnson, Deborah Bell Passeur, Adam Burchill at 256-766-3131. We're proud to be a sponsor of Florence High School Athletics. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

At North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, our Shoals roots run deep. We provide quick access and familiar friendly faces so you never have to feel just like a number. From sports medicine to joint replacement, expert care happens right here at home. As UNA Athletics choice for orthopedics and the trusted orthopedic team of the Shoals families for over 30 years, North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic is here for you. Learn more at nabjc.com. Back here at Coffee Gym, TNT fireworks pregame show, Kevin Johnson, Mike Albertson with you on this Friday night matchup. Merry Christmas, everyone listening in tonight. Hope you're enjoying this one here on 93.9 The Score. And Mike, the Falcons, you know, obviously have not had the season they wanted to start off. They played some great competition. We know that, but it doesn't get any easier and you can't feel sorry for yourself because tonight is another tough opponent. Absolutely. You know, this Austin team, they definitely do a great job. They have a lot of returning players. You know, one of them being Caden Ricks, who's averaging about 19 points a game. You know, so the Falcons are going to have their handful with this Austin team. They won the area two years ago. Last year, they were a little bit younger, but really, really good program over here. And the Falcons have, you know, with minimal success this year, are going to really have to compete to try and get this one on their home court. It is. Six area games you'll play. The Falcons are 0-2 in area play.

Austin is also 0-2. They lost to Bob Jones and they lost to James Clemens. So really, the two Madison teams, 2-0, the two others for Lawrence and Austin 0-2. So this is a key matchup because you're trying to get in that mix to not be in that four spot because you don't want to have to play a one spot for sure. So we'll see how it all measures out, but it's a big game for Florence tonight. It certainly is. And you know, having your home court is certainly important, especially in these area games. You know, so as this season goes on, we want the Falcons to be able to compete and really got to right the ship. And tonight will be a great time to start.

It will be a great night for sure for the Florence Falcons. You're listening to the TNT fireworks pregame show, Florence Falcon basketball. We're back in one minute. When you're in the mood for a sweet treat, just the way you like it, Yogurt Mountain on Cox Creek Parkway has you covered. With 16 rotating flavors, 40 toppings, and a dozen sauces, the combinations are endless. So whether you want a simple treat or a decked out dessert, just grab a cup and create your ultimate frozen yogurt concoction. At Yogurt Mountain, all of the flavors are kosher, most are gluten-free, and there are always non-dairy and non-sugar added options. Visit today and discover your new favorite frozen yogurt destination.

[5:40] Yogurt Mountain, 240 Cox Creek Parkway. Back here on the TNT fireworks pregame show, Florence Falcons basketball. Kevin Johnson joined now by the head coach, Coach Dylan Burleson. And Coach, big area game tonight. Your team comes in tonight. What do you want to see out of your team getting ready to take on the Black Bears? I want to be able to see our team be really blue collar. I thought we lacked in that area on Tuesday night. We had a season low, and honestly, it was probably the lowest output as far as blue collar goes. Tonight's another opportunity. I hope that message, I know it's been said. I think it's been received. We're excited to get out here and play tonight. You get ready to face a team like this. You change things up tonight a little bit. Definitely, you've got to throw some change-ups and some curveballs. You can throw your fastball a lot because that is our first pitch, but we have to know that there's going to have to be some adjustments made, and we'll see what happens throughout the game.

Coach, best of luck. Appreciate it. The head coach of the Florence Falcons, Coach Dylan Burleson. We're just a couple of minutes away from the national anthem here. Courtside should be a good one. Appreciate him jumping on at the last minute. Mike, it's been a festive game already with the girls game. Austin won that one. Good crowd on hand. We're looking forward tonight. What does Florence got to do to win tonight? I think Coach hit on all points there. You've got to play really good defense, and you've got to win the blue collar. If you do those two things and get some extra possessions along the way, make it a single-digit game as you reach the fourth quarter, I think anything can happen at this rate. Having that home court with a raucous crowd should help the Falcons here at home.

Should be a good one tonight. Both teams coming to their benches now. Florence, 0-2 in area play, as is Austin, so it's a key matchup for both teams. Coach Dylan Burleson in his third season. Last year's team went to the state championship game, became state runner-up, and they're now beat by everyone here. Getting ready for what will be a key game here tonight between the Falcons and the Black Bears. Nice crowd on hand. There's been a lot of, honestly, sickness going through the schools. Both of them, I understand. So we'll keep an eye on that too. I know Florence playing a little short-handed tonight because of that. We'll have to keep an eye on that. So I think it'll be something we'll have to see if Florence will go to the bench more often tonight. They even called a couple of kids up off the JV for tonight's game. So we had about four or five players out with sickness. So we'll see how the Falcons can do tonight, but they've got about 10 dressed out. They should be okay. You're listening to the TNT fireworks pregame show of Florence Falcons basketball. Come back and see us in three minutes. Hi, I'm Dr. Brady Citizen with Treehouse Children's Dentistry. Our teens in Tuscumbia, Killen, and Madison are so excited to welcome you and your family to our treehouse. We know that choosing a dental home can be a stressful experience. That's why at Treehouse Children's Dentistry, we've created an environment that kids and parents love. Our team is experienced and caring for every child from infants to teenagers to children with special needs. Call one of our three locations today or visit our website at treehousedennis.com. We're so excited to see you soon at Treehouse Children's Dentistry, a branch of Singing River Dentistry.

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Welcome back to TNT Fireworks pregame show. It comes to a close as we bring you starting lineups here at the Coffee Gym between Florence and the Austin Black Bears. The Black Bears about to be introduced wearing their gray uniforms. Landon Williams will get the start. Where's number one, Ryan Wright will get the start. Where's number three? He's a shooting guard as well. Number 11, Caden Ricks. Caden Ricks. We'll hear his name called a lot. He is a tremendous inside post player. We've seen him several years already.

[11:17] Quentin Pryor, tremendous shooter and score. He'll be a handful tonight as well. And Caleb Coddle, number 23, we'll get the start. So this is a familiar names here, Mike. We've heard them before and that's part of it. These teams that we played in the past couple years were young. Now they're all older. We're the younger team now. Absolutely. You know, early on, you know, when we saw the Bob Jones, James Clemens and now Austin, every name on that starting lineup was very familiar. And so when you're able to return all those players as they have, it's going to be very, very, it's going to be tough to live here for this young Falcon team.

You hear the music in the background. Shades of the old Chicago Bulls from years past in the Michael Jordan days. How do you not get pumped listening to that? That gets me fired up. J.C.I. Payne will get the start tonight for the Falcons, along with J. Sean Pearson. Those two have been amazing at guard this year. They are getting double and triple team to Austin, but they do not back down. Tamari and Skipworth will get the start tonight. Where's number three? He's a 6'2" junior to join Payne and Pearson.

And J.V. Lewis, 6'3" senior will get the start for the Falcons. So it'll be Lewis, Green, Payne, Pearson and Skipworth for the Falcons. The veteran official comes to give me a fist bump. We've gone through a lot over the years. I need to apologize to all the officials that are listening tonight. Didn't know for years I had cataracts. You were right and I was wrong. Got them fixed this week. So we'll do the best we can, Mike. If I mess it up, it's all on you, okay?

It works. You blame me. I'm good. We'll give Dr. Hemp Moore a nice little shout out for all the work he's done for me this week. That's for sure. It'll be, I believe, Lewis or Green. No, Green's going to jump center for the Falcons against Ricks. Falcons wearing home white, blue numbers. And Ricks for Austin controls the tap. And we're underway. Bright mirrors have it. Wright has it against the man-to-man pressure. Gets it to the point guard, Williams. Williams picked up there by Payne. Goes to the right side.

Looking patiently inside. Wright can't go anywhere with it. Goes to the baseline. Gets it to Ricks. Doesn't want it there. Back out to Williams. Deep three with a hand in the face. Didn't matter. Knocked it down. Landed to Williams. Calmly drinks the three. The Black Bears draw first blood. Pearson baseline. Got a step. Now he keeps the drill alive. He's double-teamed inside the Payne. In trouble with it. Needs help. Finally gets rid of it to Lewis. Lewis gets it back to Pearson. Pearson up top to Green.

Green says it's reset. Payne for three. Tries to answer. No good. Lewis got the rebound. He's underneath. Kicked it back out to Payne. Lawrence resets down 3-0 as we just started. Pearson in the paint. No one on him. Gets back outside. Knocked away. Ball on the floor. Look at the fight there for Florence with it. Comes back out to Pearson. Lewis with a great job getting on the floor. Pearson for two. That would go all around the rim. Would not fall. And the rebound taken by the Black Bears. Early on, Bo.

Man-to-man pressure. It's about the pace you'd expect with them, Mike. It certainly is. You know, they're going up and down the court. This athletic Austin team is really trying to stretch the court out a little bit. And this Falcon team is competing early on. Loved what I saw at the J.B. and Lewis that last possession. Ball knocked out of bounds. But Pearson will stay with Austin. They'll inbound it underneath their own basket. Wright will pull the trigger. The point guard. Check out Williams. Gets it in. Beat three. Gotta watch him any time he's out there.

But he missed it that time. And that's Pryor. Rebound taken down by Florence. Nice job by Skipworth. Double-team to backcourt. Dribbles through the double-team. Now he's triple-team. Keeps the dribble alive and gets rid of it. Nice job by Skipworth. Pearson in the corner. Three on the way by Green. Missed everything. Rebound taken by the Black Bears. They look to run. Bounce pass of Beauty up the floor. But Riggs couldn't get to it because Pearson cut off his impediment there. And it goes out of bounds back to Florence.

Yeah, that was a great heady play there by Pearson. Riggs had to pull up as to not have a player control foul there. So smart job by Riggs there. But we're getting the possession there for the Falcons. Falcons playing pretty crisp early on defensively. Not sure I used the word impediment right there. But I threw it in there. It sounded good. Payne for three for Florence. Ooh, in and out. Rolled out. No good. Rebound taken by Riggs. Up the floor, the left sideline. They look to push down the floor quickly and a foul. They call it Skipworth.

Body it up. The Black Bear player. Skipworth's first foul. Teams first as well. Three to zero. 6:05 to go. Austin with the lead and the basketball. Black Bears looks again. Pryor gets it. Turn around fade away. Lefty up. No good. Rebound tipped around. On the floor. Out of bounds. Last touch by Florence. Three Falcons were there. One Black Bear. And the Black Bear said, "I didn't touch it." It went off the Falcons and he was right. Missed opportunity there for the Falcons. It did not block out great. Gave Austin an opportunity and tapped that ball out to give them the possession. Riggs in the corner.

[16:34] Cross-court pass up top. Big three on the way again by Williams. This time he misses one. Riggs tried to get the rebound, but tipped away by Skipworth and taken by Florence. Green comes up the sideline. Doesn't want it there. Kavante now goes baseline. Got a step. Laid it up. Put it in. Wow. Kavante Green with a great move right there. I didn't see that one coming. Mike, I'll be honest with you. Quickly down the floor. The Black Bears kick it back out. Driving in the lane. Over to Riggs. Ball stocked away. Stolen away.

Pearson picks the pocket again. He comes up the floor. Black Bears retreat quickly. He loses it going that way, but he's fouled. It'll stay with the Falcons. We'll pick up the foul here. Yeah, that was a great job by Green. He caught the defensive player kind of just shuffling his feet and it had a nice little burst around along the baseline. Took it hard to the basket. Jaden Irons will come in for Green. He gave good minutes. You've got to remember Kavante Green is still getting in basketball shape. He's still getting in basketball shape. He had a leg injury towards the end of football season. That really helped him out a few games and he's still recovering from that. Skipworth. Open. Three ball. Good.

That was a great set play. That's a sign of great coaching right there. When you can come out of inbounds underneath plays like that underneath the basket, you can always tell if they're a well-coached team and Florence takes the lead five to three with five minutes to go here in the first. Cottle who picked up the foul earlier with the basketball in the corner. Pryor's three is up in and out. No good. Rebound tipped around. Riggs shakes it down. He comes back on the other side and laid it in. That's what Riggs can do. He is a strong player and ties it up at five. Pearson for Florence going right to left as you listen on the radio tonight. Glad you're with us here on 93.9 The Score. He gets it to Skipworth.

We're going to call an offensive foul. I think on Pearson maybe. Yep. On the screen. Very rarely do you have a player control foul on the smallest guy on the court. He sort of dribbled drive handoff, but he kept kept moving. He sort of shielded the defender. That's what he got called for. And I said, that's that's the point of emphasis. No doubt this year. They run a triangle. Offense is awesome. Can't get anything there. Kick it back to Riggs on the wing. He wants to go against Lewis. Good defense right there. Florence. Great job. Hedge and ball knocked away. Last touch though by. Let's see. I think Florence. There was three white jerseys down here, but it'd go back to Austin. But I like the help on defense, Mike. Yeah, it was great. Help defense.

Jaden Irons and J. Shaw Pearson really clogged up the passing lane there to tip that ball out. But the defense has been playing pretty hard this first quarter. Baseline floater on the way. Short, no good by the blackbears. And taken by Skipworth of Florence. And Pearson wants to run. Pearson weaving through traffic. Goes by one black bear. By another. Kicks it in the corner. Three on the way. That one won't fall. Irons fights with a rebound. Got it. Irons goes up with the left hand and put it in over the big Riggs player. Oh, Riggs gives him about three inches of height over Irons. And Irons didn't care. He put it in. Seven to five. Great play by Irons.

It was a beautiful play by Irons. And very rarely do you see a kid really go to his left hand in a situation like that. It's just a beautiful basketball play there by Irons. Austin runs the horn set up top. Now they try to get it Riggs on the baseline. Boy, the big defense from Florence has been great so far. Pryor got to step that time right when they set it and laid it in. The lane opened up and Pryor found it and ties it up at seven.

But the Falcons getting after it right now early on. Halfway through the first quarter. Tied at seven. Key area game. Payne. Again, his three won't matter because there's a moving screen. The point of emphasis stays there. Yeah, and it's difficult because so far in the area, they haven't been calling that moving screen. Saw a ton of those in the last couple of games. So now they have to adjust. They're really calling it in this situation. So you've got to adjust if you're here at Falcon. Skipper just picked up his second foul. Green will come in for Florence.

Dillon Burleson playing with a short deck tonight. Several players out with signals. Austin with the basketball to our right. Get it to Riggs. Right back. He gives it. Now they play though beside good defense by Florence. They keep hedging out. Long three on the way. In and out. No good. Rebound fought for. Taken down by Riggs. He put it up. No good. He's fouled. That was great on everything. He said just didn't go get the ball, Mike. Right. You know, he was, you know, Riggs was blocked out pretty good. And he just, in his relentless pursuit, was able to, once that ball hit the ground, he was able to pick it up and really create an advantageous situation with him being on the low block, went up and got hit. He's going to be shooting too. First one rolls in for Riggs.

Eight to seven. 247 to go. Austin with the lead over Florence here in the first quarter. Glad you're with us tonight on 93-9. The score. Second free throw. Next for Riggs. He has four. The Falcons try to push up the floor and almost throw it away. But Irons saves it. Gets it back. Kicks it in the corner. Payne has it. Payne drives. Floated up. Couldn't do it. Kick it in the other corner. Lefty on the way. Three-pointer. No good. That one wouldn't fall there. For Burnett, who just checked back in the game, the freshman. Quickly down the floor come the Black Bears. Beautiful move right there. Behind the back. Tremendous play. Florence tries to go the other way and throw it away. So Pryor, one end, gets the great basket. And Florence tried to answer on the other end and turned it over. Yeah, Pryor had a beautiful drive to the basket there. And with that scoop up and under. Threw some defenders off the glass. Just a really masterful job heading to the basket. 11-7. Austin with a lead. And Austin's got a great crowd here tonight. But I'd say even more, a vocal crowd. They have been vocal in the girls game and they hear them in the boys game too. Short on the three-pointer. Florence that time, fouls, trying to get the rebound. And that's Green.

[22:29] He picked up his second. Again, that's a little bit of still getting in that basketball frame of mind. And really it was unnecessary. He had a great, he did a great job of boxing out and fighting underneath. Once you extend your arm like that in that situation, he had that rebound without that push. And so he just, he just harmed himself there. And he, you could, you could tell that Green's upset early on and coach is talking to him. You're at home, but you've got five fouls to one in the first quarters. Florence has played hard, but they're down 11-7. And great coaching there by Dylan Burleson.

I love this guy. I mean, just great coaching. He has Green over here talking to him with the arm around him, coaching him up. Free throw is good. As Rich makes that one. And let's call it what it is. Green was very, very upset. And coach said, look in my eyes. Yeah. And he wanted to connect with his player and just being able to do that, you know, and make sure that the player heard everything that he had to say. It was, it was just a great job. Free throw, miss. Rebound taken by Vernette of Florence. Burski checks into the game. Bo Burski for the first time for Florence.

Pearson, top of the key. Yo-yo's with it. Back out to the Burnett. Burnett tries to get the screen on one side. Spins in the lane. Lefty up. No good. Got his own rebound. Safe to the inbounds, but it goes to the Black Bears. They've got to run out on the other end, but Pearson comes out and picks the pocket of the rigs. That's a defensive back right there with an interception. Pearson, back in the floor, down to the paint. Put it up. Got it. He's fouled. Oh, wow. What a play by Pearson.

Pearson. The foul will be on prior and the basket will count. If you've never seen Jay Shaw Pearson play any athletics whatsoever, you're missing out. He gets more from less. I mean, he's the smallest guy on the court all the time, but he knows where he needs to be at all times, and just does a great job of dictating the game to the other team. You know, that's the best way I could put it. He did a pump fake there, got hit, and made the basket, and hits the free throw to make the three-point play. Free throw's good. Trims the lead to 12 to 10 with 130 to go here in the first quarter. Black Bears with a basketball, but Florence battling away. Now in the 2-3 zone for the first time, throwing a door different look here. Williams up top's a shooter. Got to know where the shooters are at all times. Burski reached in and poked it away there from right. I like Bo Burski coming in.

He's a little physical, strong, and can be aggravating. Is that a good way to put it? That's a beautiful way to put it, and we're seeing that from Jade and I and Burski, and we got J.B. and Lewis. All three of those guys have really grown this season, especially in their physicality underneath. Around the horn they go, trying to get a shooter open on the three. Now they'll take one at the top of the key. No good, and the great box out by Burnett. Pushes it up to Pearson. Pearson wants to push it down the floor to Payne in the corner.

Payne drives, kicks it back out to Burnett, but it's knocked away. Ricks has got a run out. Ricks going down the other way. We'll go up and jam it home. Ricks right now, the key to this game in the first quarter. 15, excuse me, 14 to 10. Pearson front court with it with 33 seconds. To Irons, to Pearson for three. Wouldn't go. Rebound. Burski fought for it. Couldn't get it. Got it back. Goes up with the left hand, and then it will go, and he's fouled. How about Bo Burski there giving a spark off the bench?

Bo Burski did a great job staying on that low block, boxing out, grabbing that rebound, and when he went up, he made sure that he received a little contact. Went up with the left hand beautifully to shield to shield the ball and made the bucket, hopefully converting it into his three-point play. The foul on Taylor. Free throw went all the way around the rim. No good, but rebound by Irons. His shot is rejected. He gets it back. Kicked it back outside and knocked away, and they're going to say, "Nope." Last touch by Florence. So with 19 seconds to go, it goes back to the Black Bears, but Florence trims the lead to 14 to 12. Black Bears may play for the last shot.

Florence stays in his 2-3 zone. On the wing, Williams, top of the key. Now Williams has it. He gets the high screen. That's a moving screen. That's exactly what they've called. That's the fourth one called. This is the first one on Austin. Yeah, and he looks very confused, but he was still moving. Like- Michael Taylor just picked up his second foul. He'll go out. Staten won't come in. And with 8.1, but he's like, "What? What? Is that a foul?" He nearly tackled the guy. I'm not so sure. It was one of the best hits of the week.

Here comes Pearson with it with seven seconds. Goes left side. Gets it to Payne. Back to Pearson. Three in the corner. Good. What a set play for Florence to hit that at the buzzer, and the Falcons take a one-point lead. And look at the celebration coming off the bench. Florence, 15. Austin, 14. Falcon basketball back in 60. Hey, Falcon fans. This is Keith at Cypress Creek Indoor Range. At Cypress Creek Indoor Range, we prepare you to provide your own safety. Cypress Creek Indoor Range team provides you with the knowledge and the right equipment to defend yourself and family. And our state-of-the-art indoor shooting range gives you the perfect place to practice. You can take your skills to the next level through our extensive training classes or private lessons. At Cypress Creek Indoor Range, your safety is our number one priority. 5060, Highway 157, or on the web at cypresscreekrange.com.

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Call 2-5-6-7-6-4-8-6-8-2. One quarter in the books. Florence, 15, Austin, 14, Mike Albertson. If you'd tell me Florence would be leading at the end of the first quarter the way it went, they just kept hanging around, hanging around, hanging around, and hit a three at the buzzer, and what a set play it was. It was a beautiful set play, and being able to screen and roll, find Jay shot in the corner, just being able to go out and hit that three to come up one at the end of that first quarter was huge, but a lot of blue collar work there by the Falcons in that first quarter really did a great job keeping themselves in great position.

A couple offensive rebounds and putbacks getting those extra possessions are huge. And Austin comes out in a little one-two-two zone. Burski in the corner, gets it back to Payne. Payne can't shoot it over Rich there, so he dribbles back out. Gets it again to Irons at the elbow, swings it to the other side, reverses the ball to Pearson. Very patient. Burnett, no shame. No shame for the freshman. He sees it, he shoots it, he makes it. Oh, baby, he does have a game, and it's going to only get better.

Burnett hits the three, and Florence with their largest lead at 18-14. Pryor for Austin inside, and there's a foul called, and that may be on Pearson. Let's see. That's number two on Jay Shod. Jay Shod knew it right away. You know, he tried to tip that pass away, got too much hand. It was quite obvious, and you know, there was no argument. He just didn't particularly care for the fact that he has a second foul now. Haley checks in for Austin. Florence shorthanded on the bench with sickness, so I have to be careful about that.

Pryor's three is good, so he drinks the three on the set play to trim the lead to one, and the ball over the hands of Burski. That's the right idea, but the pass was too high, and Burski probably not used to that pass. You know, we do that on occasion. We try and push the pace, but we've had a decent amount of turnovers that go out into that outside baseline. Long passes. Florence stays zoned. Pryor hit the three earlier, won't take it there. Williams at the top.

Back to Pryor. He shoots the three again. This one no good. Rebound is long, though, and it goes out to Williams. They'll be second chance on the long rebound. They lob it into Ricks, and it's stolen away. Beautiful steal by the freshman, Burnett of Florence. Behind the back, dribble comes across the midcourt stripe with Ricks on him. He's not going to give it up, I don't think. Now he finally does to Payne. Payne says, let's reset. Burnett thinks he can score on anyone. Payne at the free throw line.

Floater in the lane. Won't go too strong. Rebound by Irons. Put it up, no good. Burski tried to get in there, but lost his balance. Rebound taken by Austin. Had two good looks. Couldn't get it to fall. Blackbears up the floor. Williams crossover. 18-foot on the way. Missed everything. Rebound taken by Burnett of Florence. Pearson will bring it up the floor. Pearson behind the back. Dribble in the paint. Nope. Has to bring it back out. Lost it. Try to get rid of it. Saved by Payne.

Pearson in the corner. Can't get the shot off. Payne's open for three. Won't take it there, though. Between the legs. Dribble trying to set up the defender. Got a great screen. Kicked it in the corner. Down to Burnett. Burnett on the wing. Picks up his dribble. Back to Pearson. You can take your time here, Florence. Be patient. Pearson. Behind the back. Gets right up to Burski. Burski threw it away. Payne wasn't looking for it. And here come the Blackbears with it. They go hard at the basket.

Get it to Ricks. He's in the paint. And a foul call before the shot. They're going to get irons. The Falcons missed an opportunity there. They had the ball underneath. They wound up getting shoved. There wasn't a whistle on that one. But yeah. As Payne was not looking for that pass. Gave it a turnover there to Austin. Winded up making a foul there, unfortunately. They're going to be underneath on the baseline. Irons and Burski come out. Lewis comes back in. Free throw. Three-pointer no good. Excuse me.

Rebound by Lewis of Florence. And here comes Burnett. Just waltzing by two players. Goes up. Laid it up. Missed it. But he's fouled. My goodness gracious. He was going up with intentions, I think, of making a left-hand slam. But he got fouled. He'll shoot two. Just watching this young man grow before our eyes. I mean, we saw right away in his first game he was fearless. But just being able to watch him compete and understand how young he is. This is going to be a special, special player when it's all said and done.

[32:53] Zia Burnett makes the free throw. Florence leads it 19-17 with 5:24 to go. Missed the second one. Back rim. Rebound chased down by the Black Bears of Austin. They're in front court. Swinging around. Prior top of the key. Got to know where he is. He's already hit 1-3. Williams May got away with a walk on the wing. Three-pointer of the way. Short no good. Rebound taken by Florence. Lewis, though. What a play by Pearson. Knocked it down to Burnett. Goes up. Layed it up. No foul called.

Unbelievable. I thought he might have got hacked. But here comes the Black Bears the other way. Pearson saved that one right there. Up the top. Williams can't get the shot off. They reverse it to the corner. Three on the way is good. That might be Staten that hit that one, I believe. That's correct. And the Black Bears take a 20-19 lead. Payne to Pearson. Pearson gets by his defender in the paint, though. He can't get the shot off back out to Payne. Payne looking at the top of the key to Skipworth.

Dribble drive handoffs. Gets it to Pearson. Pearson shot fakes twice. Now dribbles. Almost lost it. Gets in the corner to Burnett. Burnett spins into the lane. Goes over the left hand. Good. And he's fouled. The kid has talent. I'll just say, I don't want to get too excited. But in the past two minutes, he's got six points and about to go for seven. Just being able to create his own shots off the dribble. That's something that, you know, coaches at the next level, they truly look for.

And for him to be able to do it at such a young age is kind of incredible. And he knocks down the free throw. He has all seven points for Florence. Timeout on the floor. Florence leads it 22-20. Falcon basketball back in 30. Florence Utilities now offers new bill pay options. Sign up for paperless, auto pay, text pay, and more to make your life easier. When you go green and go paperless, you'll no longer have paper bills filling up your mailbox and you'll be helping the environment.

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All seven points for Florence in the second quarter. Florence led it 15-14. Now they lead it 22-20. Florence trapped. Come in out of the timeout and knocked away. It was a timeout taken by Austin. So Florence forces a timeout. We'll do the same. Falcon basketball returns in 30 seconds. This is Miranda Haddock with the Florence Education Foundation. We invite you to support our Friends of the Foundation campaign. As a friend of the Foundation, you can contribute any amount to help fund classroom needs in Florence City Schools.

Please visit our website at FlorenceEducationFoundation.org to explore our new giving levels and the added perks available. We want to wish Coach Burleson and the entire Falcon basketball team good luck this season. 4-12 to go. Florence leads at 22-20. Kevin Johnson, Mike Albertson up a call. All three officials were really good here tonight. One of them is a friend of mine from years past. I went to high school with him years ago, Cedric Hawkins. He's one of the best in the business. These guys, he and Joey Ispel here tonight, they are a great team.

I know them, too, from officiating for years. Well, they love the sport and they love the game. They love to give it back to it. Now that I can see, I'm going to start bragging on officials more. I think that'll be my new New Year's resolution. Williams to the ring. Kicks it in the corner for Austin. Deep two on the way, and that rattles home. You can keep your resolution. I'll save yours. I'll do my part. Wright gets the basket. Tied at 22. Payne is hit. No call.

Kicks it in the corner. Three on the way by Burnett. He got another one. Well, the stars in the making. Let's just say it as we see it. Burnett has 10 in the quarter. Deep three for Austin on the way. Back rim, no good. Payne chases down the rebound. Jayceon comes down the floor and he's fouled. Coming down. The foul will be called on Austin's. Ryan Wright. Pearson will come in. Jayceon did a great job there. Rebounding and getting the spot. Florence leads at 25-22. So Lewis Pearson Payne on the floor.

And I'm sure Burnett's out there along with Burski. Burski has all 10 points for the Falcons in this quarter. In that 1-2-2 zone again. Get the ball to Burnett. Why not? Three on the way. That one too strong. Rebound taken by the Blackbirds. They try to run out on the other end and got an easy run out of stat and laid it in. That's what you don't want to see, Mike. You get caught up looking and you don't see. Get back on defense. 25-24. Lawrence leads it by one.

[38:18] Pearson. And a whistle on the foul. That's right call. That's the fourth time we've seen that moving screen. That one just called on Lewis. You got to establish your position and hold it there. And these guys are trying to do the tap and go. Trying to get themselves a cutting lane. And you really just have to establish it and keep your feet. I appreciate the enthusiasm of trying to cut and get in the cutting lane. But they're calling it a tight snipe. 2-3 zone still for Florence.

Payne and Pearson at the top of it. They go to the corner. It's Austin. Another three on the way. And that's good again. You got to have to keep an eye on the shooter now. And they've brought Staten in. He's hit back-to-back threes. He has eight in the corner. And Austin takes a 27-25 lead under three minutes to go. Lewis hands it off to Pearson. Pearson back over to the top right corner to Irons. Gives it to Payne. Good switch there by Austin. Lewis back to Payne.

Open three. Top of the key. You got it. You can see that one. He got a good look finally. His first basket of the day. And Florence takes a one-point lead. Ricks fade away from 15. Got it. Wow. That's a tough shot he just took. And he knocked it down. Seesaw affair. Black Bears lead it by one. Pearson in the corner. Up through the way. Lewis was weaving while Pearson was dodging. Turnover Florence. Green will come out. Lewis will come out. Green will come in. With under two to go.

Florence trails it by one. Pretty good game so far. Neither team really clean on it by both things battling. Both things shooting the ball a little better in quarter number two. Speaking of shooting better, that three is from deep. Landon Williams drains it from about 22 feet. And the lead goes up to four. 32-28. Pearson to Payne. Payne top of the key to Burnett. Burnett. They know where he is now. Kicks it back out to Green. Green to left side to Payne. Payne got the good screen up top.

Gets it off to Irons. Irons says, let's go hand it off to Pearson. Pearson trying to drive into Payne. Kicks it away. Nope, thrown away. Turn around. Turn over. And Pearson may have picked up number three. Depends on who they call this on. Jay Sion was in the area as well. But yes, they got Jay Shod with his third foul. And with 1:15 to go, Skipworth will come in. Jay Shod has had to, you know, Mike, he has to handle the ball so much as a point guard.

And that's got to wear and tear a little bit. Absolutely. He puts the most minutes on the court as any Falcon out there. So, you know, just him and all the ball handling that he does, especially with Austin's high, you know, high intensity defense, just really, it can wear a guard out for sure. Blackberry's four-point lead is now seven. Friar drains another three. They've hit four threes in this quarter and the lead up to eight. But Payne answers on the other end with a running layup to trim it down, excuse me, trim it down to five, 35-30.

A five-point lead for Austin with 45 seconds to go. Lawrence stays in that 2-3 zone. Remember, they're really short-handed, having to go to a short bench. Deep three on the way again. This one no good. Rebound taken by Lawrence. Burnett gets rid of it at the rebound to Payne. I believe Dylan Burles is going to try to call for the last shot if he can. Here comes the double team. Payne has it, gets rid of it. That's the green, got a step, laid it up, no good, but he's fouled.

You try to play for the last shot. When you get triple team, you've got to go. You get triple team, then you find a lane to the basket. You know, you try and take those two points, absolutely. And Kavante Green did a great job of finding that lane and heading hard to the basket and wound up getting the contact. He's shooting two. 18.6 seconds to go. Green will shoot two and got the first. He wears number 20, just his second or third game back. He only played a few minutes in those first two games the past couple days.

Second free throw, got them both. Now he's giving four points. Three-point lead. Both teams with 14 fouls, so the next one will be free throws with 18.6. And Florence now will pick up a little bit full court. Kipworth in the game will force them to come up the floor to the right sideline. They try to get back to the middle. Williams does. Swings it to Pryor. They go inside and nearly threw it away. Had to save it off a Falcon player to go back to Austin. With 8.3. That's an athletic play by the Black Bears.

It was a heady play along the baseline there. Caleb caught them. Wind up going out of bounds with it. Threwing it off of Burnett to retain possession there for Austin. They run a flat screen, so watch them. They're going to come up top on the corner, I guess. They're going to try to get it out here. And they do to Pryor, who hit the three earlier. They cross-court it the other way. Good defense, though. Deep three on the way. Good. They got the shot at the buzzer, and that'll do it.

[43:36] So I have to buzzer the fifth three of the quarter, and that's how Austin leads it at the half. 38-32 over Florence by hitting five three-pointers there in, or actually maybe six three-pointers there in the second quarter. We're listening to Florence Talkin' Basketball on 93.9 The Score. We're back in two minutes. Hello, my name is Debra Bell-Passuer, and I'm an attorney with the law firm of Johnson, Passuer, Medley, and Burchell. Please don't call an out-of-town lawyer when you can call our law firm, which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law.

Check us out first. Please call me, Leslie Johnson, Keith Medley, Adam Burchell, at 256-766-3131. We are proud to be a sponsor of Florence High School Athletics. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. At North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, our shoals' roots run deep. We provide quick access and familiar, friendly faces so you never have to feel just like a number. From sports medicine to joint replacement, expert care happens right here at home.

As UNA Athletics' choice for orthopedics and the trusted orthopedic team of the show families for over 30 years, North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic is here for you. Learn more at nabjc.com. Thanks for choosing Whataburger. What can I get started for you? At Whataburger, each meal is made to order, so you can always get exactly what you crave. If that's a Whataburger What-A-Meal, you got it. But if you're in the mood for something a little more you, like a Whataburger with grilled onions, crispy bacon, and creamy pepper sauce, go for it.

March to the beat of your own drum. Bite into the beef of your own Whataburger creation. Whataburger, just like you like it. 1554 Florence Boulevard. Back here on the TNT Fireworks Halftime Show where Florence trails Austin 38-32 at the half. Kevin Johnson and Mike Albertson. We got a special guest with us tonight. Slipping in here. We're glad to have my good friend from football, our statistician John McDaniel. And J-Mac, I know you always play football. Did you play any basketball when you were in high school by any chance?

I played my freshman year and realized that was not going to be a sport I excelled in. Were you a good screener? Could you set good screens? And I was a terrific screener and a whale of a rebounder, but not much of a shooter. But a great fouler, right? No, I wasn't. Okay, all right, that's good. I was all about playing defense. Hey, let's talk about this Falcon football team this past season. Had a great comeback season in many ways. To start off the way they did, and to come back and to get to the first round of the playoffs, you saw that team, and then the awards were starting to come in for all regions and stuff.

It was just an impressive job by Kenny Morrison and his crew, wasn't it? Coach Morrison and his whole staff did an excellent job this year by taking what they had and continuing to work. I always think about what is a good team when I watch the other college teams play, and the ones that are getting better week to week are always the ones seemingly that are the best coach. Coach Morrison did that for his team this year. They developed from the start of the season to the end.

They were so much better. All the positions seemed to get more comfortable with new coaches and new skis, and really proud of how they developed and worked and managed to get into the playoffs, which is always the goal every season for a team. I'm really proud of Coach Morrison and all the Falcons. It's the way they worked this year. Our halftime guest is our good friend John McDaniel. He does the stats with us often every time we're together and going to games. Mike, when we get together, we're only missing Jeffrey Jones.

For some reason, we're getting a lot more air time when Jeffrey's out on here. Have you noticed that? You know what, I'm going to keep my mouth shut for once. Just let that go. A man that's not here, I'm not going to make fun of. Oh, yeah. I'll be to his face. I'll throw him under the bus any time I can. That's for sure. Hey, let's talk about coming up. Alabama Friday night, a game you're going to hear right here on 93.9. The score next week. Going to Oklahoma.

And, John, I know that you are big into football, obviously, and you know the Alabama Crimson side team. Can they go on the road and pull this game off against the Sooners? It's an uphill battle for sure. It seems like a wire weakness is their strength, kind of a little both ways. I think the revenge factor is what you kind of have to think, maybe the way Georgia was able to. It's all about the week of practice is what I talk about with the revenge. It's not going to matter on Friday night.

But while you're preparing for it, that bad taste in your mouth after getting beat is how that you get better. The more film that you watch, the more in tune or focused you are in practice, those are the things that the revenge factor. It won't matter when the game kicks off. But in the preparation is that where I think. But I hope they can. They've got a – if Crimson Tide win it, they will have gone through all of the good teams. I think they hit Indiana if they win.

[49:00] And that's an impressive team to me. Yeah, I would say Indiana's – by the way, just a side note as an Auburn fan, you realize that the number one and number two guys in the Heisman voting probably coming up tomorrow night will both have faced Auburn. One was at California before he went to Indiana and Mendoza. And then, of course, Pavia there at Vanderbilt. And Auburn faced both of them when they were not at Vanderbilt or not at Indiana, and we didn't try to recruit them. Maybe that was the problem.

I'm just saying, as an Auburn fan, I think I figured it out. Oh, I thought you were going that y'all may have played them. That's probably why their stats are so good. Yeah, that's why their stats were so good. It is. There's no doubt. It was when they played in all these other schools, and we did not take a lead on either one of those. But that brings me to my question before I let both of you go here, and that is this. Who do you pick to be in the championship game of college football?

I'll start with you, Mike. I'm making a painful face here because, you know, it really, really and truly, I think the top four teams, any one of them can make it. You know, I'm really rooting for Indiana because they haven't been there before, but a team like, I mean, I'd like to root for Georgia because of the SEC. But, you know what, when it all comes down to it, I think Ohio State can try and figure it out. I think they have a lot of tools that are going to be necessary to win it down the stretch.

So, I don't think, I think it can come down to Ohio State. Okay. What do you think, John? Well, the best team, I've seen them a couple of times. Indiana, I'm going to say out of the top part of the bracket as the one seed. That's the best team that I've seen most complete. The most talented is Ohio State, but I'm not certain that the way they play against Indiana, maybe Georgia could get past them with the way they can play physical. So, hey, before we go to break, Kevin, I wanted to say congratulations to you for your award tonight.

It was well, well-deserved. I've known you for a long time, and from the entire life, you have always had a heart for children, for kids, and want to serve. I know you use this as a ministry, and you have served kids and poured your life into all students for a long time, and that is much deserved and couldn't be prouder for a better person to get that. Well, I appreciate that very much, and I was very surprised. My good friend, Mike Albertson, pulled a fast one on me and was awarded there at halftime of the girls' game for 20 years plus of service up here with Florence Falcons Athletics.

And Lord willing, I hope to do a few more. Ashton was at a retirement party I didn't know about, but they said it wasn't. So, I was just double-checking on that, but I appreciate that. John McDaniel, thank you for being our halftime guest. Thank you for letting me jump on. Good to see you, my friend. We're at the high from the TNT Fireworks Halftime Show. Florence trails Austin 38-32. Second half action coming back after this one-minute timeout. With locations in Tuscumbia, Florence, Muscle Shoals, Russell, Killen, Madison, and Athens, Singing River Dentistry provides the most advanced dental care, including same-day crowns and implants, in a compassionate and friendly atmosphere.

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That's it. A 20% scholarship to UNA. When bank-independent invests in students like me, they're investing in all of us and the future of our community. Bank-independent. We're invested in your future. Member FDIC. TNC Fireworks halftime show coming to a close here on 93.9 The Score. Kevin Johnson on Mike Alberson. Our halftime guest was John McDaniel, our statistician for football. He slipped in tonight. I didn't know if he knew where our basketball gym was. He didn't for first. He had to go find the dome before he could find it here.

He went to the dome first. Yep. Yep. That's part of it, but we're glad he was a part of that. And, again, I will say thank you to Coach Dylan Burleson and the staff here for the surprise recognition tonight. I was very, very color-carded and humbled, but hoping to do this many more years. I don't know how many basketball games I've done, Mike, but my first one was upstairs with J.D. Byers. And I tell the story real quick. J.D. Byers called me. He said, hey, I'm doing Florence High School basketball.

It's their first season. Would you like to do some of the games as color analyst? And I said, you know what? I think I would. He said, good. Be here in 10 minutes. And I literally walked in the door. He put a headset on my head. He said, we're live. And I said, you're kidding. And he said, no, we're live. And I went, I mean, no preparation, nothing. And at halftime, he says, oh, and you're going to be interviewing the head football coach. I've never done anything like it before, and it just came so.

[54:02] I look back on it and I said, wow, who thought that little call from J.D. Byers would make 20 years I'd still be doing this? But it's been a lot of fun. You know, I've got a similar story of just kind of fell into this. I got a text message. My initial response was heck no, but I dove right in. And, you know, there's been no looking back. It's been a wonderful ride. I appreciate being a part of the Falcon family. And, K.J., you know, I could echo everything that John said, but I appreciate you and just being my radio partner for all these years.

Well, let's keep doing it for several others. Yes, sir. Very nice. I'm going to have to have to talk with the coaches and their spouses about pulling this fast one on me tonight, but I always appreciate it. 38-32, Florence trails Austin. The Black Bears will go right to left and have the basketball to start the third quarter. And Florence will stay in that 2-3 zone, and Pearson with three fouls will come back out on the floor. Let's see what the Falcons can do here. Deep three on the way.

That one's missed, but the long rebound goes to the Black Bears. Williams gets it in the floor. It puts it up from 15. Missed it off the back rim. Great rebound by Skipworth. Gets it out to Payne. Black Bears are really athletic. They get back, but not that fast. As Payne goes up, missed it. Layup, though. Put back. It's good. Give that to Kavante Green. He's starting to find some rhythm there. Lead trim down to four. 38-34. Deep three on the way by Pryor. No good. Again, the long rebound, though, goes to Black Bears.

They miss another shot. Rebound taken by Payne. He was fouled. No calling. Back court, but he gets it back. Payne will bring it back up. Left side. Got a step. Goes down the lane. Put it up. Rolled it up. Went to go. Rebound by Florence. It's Pearson amongst the trees. He's double-teamed, triple-teamed. Inside. No look. Pass of beauty. Oh, baby. That was good. And Lewis lays it in. And Florence has trimmed the lead down to two. How he saw him, I don't know. You know, as the defense kind of parted, saw J.B. and Lewis there on the low block right underneath the basket.

It was wide open. Just beautiful pass there by Pearson. Two-three zone. Also shooting a lot of threes. Now they try to get it inside. They do to Pryor. Lay that. Put it in. And a weak whistle. Now they call it in. Very delayed whistle. But they call the foul, and it will count. Lewis gets the foul. And Pryor hits the basket. Will go to the line to try to make it a five-point lead. 40 to 36. The Blackbears lead it. The lefty's free throw is good. I have him unofficially with 13.

Pearson will bring it up the floor for Florence. Blackbears stay man-to-man. Got the top of the key. Boy, Payne should have pulled the trigger there. It didn't. Gives it back to Pearson. Pearson into the paint. Back out to Skipworth. Skipworth, elbow. Nowhere to go with it to Lewis. Lewis now looking back to Skipworth. Find it to Payne. Good look in the corner. Three ball on the way by Green. Good. Devontae Green says, you know what? I can shoot the three. How about Devontae Green right now starting to find his shooting rhythm.

That was a nice-looking shot. That was a beautiful job there by the Falcons. Real great ball movement, and Green being able to hit that ball in the corner. If we're able to get a third and fourth scorer from this team, look out. We can put some things together. That three went off the side of the backboard and finally taken away by Pearson. Pearson rings it down on the floor, trailing by two. Weaving through traffic. In the corner. Three for the lead. That won't go. Payne was short.

Rebound taken by the Black Bears. They've got a two-on-one. No look pass on the other side. Layup is good. That's just speed right there. Powell gets the basket. Here comes Payne to the elbow. Free throw line. They can't get the shot off. Back out to Pearson. Florence trails at 43-39. Five and a half to go in the third. Yo-yo. Hesitation. Fade away. Jumper. Good. Wow. Pearson puts it in. Timeout on the floor. Florence trails 43-41. Come back and see us in 30 seconds. Flavor is calling at Lost Pizza Company Shoals.

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Black Bears lead at 43-41. Kevin Johnson and Mike Albertson. Mike, just early assessment watching this Falcon team playing shorthanded tonight. Yeah, playing shorthanded, but getting quality minutes off the bench. Kavante Green adding a spark. You know, just being back in the lineup in general. J.B. and Lewis playing tough underneath Jaden Irons. I mean, we're playing a physical brand of basketball, even shorthanded. Pryor drive with a right hand that time. He switched hands. Went up late. He's a scorer. He can really play. Down the floor quickly.

[59:08] Florence with his skipper. It's fouled. Across the way, he got tripped. It'll stay with Florence. They'll inbound it. That foul will be called on Pryor. Pryor. And that might be number two on Pryor. I think we'll check. It'll skip work the inbound it for Florence. Trailing 45-41. Lewis in the game. Gets it to Pearson. Topain on the curl. Three on the way. Met. Beautiful set play. Out of bounds. Boy, that's when you know you've got something going. Lead trimmed to one. What was missed on that call was J.B.

and Lewis setting a screen that literally knocked the Austin player off his feet. Just established a nice, beautiful screen there. There's the size of Rick's, though. They get it to me in the paint. Easy basket. 47-44. Three-point lead for the Black Bears. Pryor pulls for three. Got it. He's starting to feel it. He ties it up at 47. And Dylan Burleson got the sports coat off. And here we go. 4-18 to go. And here come the Falcons. Felt a little momentum swinging. It's the Falcon defense bouncing around in that zone.

Pryor into the paint. Lost it. Stolen away. Skipworth lost it off the back of his foot. It's on the floor. It goes right to Rick's. Goes up and lays it in. And jams it home. And he's fouled. That's just unfortunate. Three Falcons were trying to run with it. It went off the back of the hill of a Falcon player. And it went right back to Austin. And it turns into a potential three-point play. When Caden Ricks gets the ball in that low block right there. Look out.

Because he could fly high. He really took one step off the court and jammed that one home. As Skipworth kind of went up underneath him under his feet. Got the foul. Skipworth with three fouls will come out. Burnett will come in. You can't really complain about that foul there. Skipworth was just trying to compete and really hustle back to try and defend there. We have a delay as they clean up where bodies were on the floor. And there was three, four, maybe on the floor. Problem was there was three Austin players and one Florence players.

Because Florence was running down the floor to run the break. And they had the break. They would have had a nice opportunity at a layup there. But unfortunately went off the shoe of a Falcon and went back towards the Austin basket. 4-0-2 to go. Florence trails by two. Ricks will try to make it a three-point game. The senior for Austin. Free throws up. Short, no good. Rebound by Burnett for Florence. Boy, he just goes up and snatches it with two hands. Quickly down the floor.

Lewis back to Green. Green had a look. Back out to Pearson. Pearson in the corner. Says, nope, not going to take that. Green will for three. Short, no good. Rebound out of bounds and go back to Austin. And I love Dylan Burleson right there. He was not shy about him saying, that's a good shot. Take it. Absolutely. You get a good look like that, you got to take those shots. You know, you can't worry. You can't be so results-oriented every once in a while. When you get a good look, you've just got to, I mean, you're playing within the coach's system.

And that's all you could ask for. Prior on the wing. Wouldn't take that one. Gets it back. We'll skip into the lane. Cross-court pass. Swings it back out to Williams. Into the corner. They move the ball quickly. Down to Ricks on the post. Up and under. And he's fouled. Burnett came up and blocked it from behind. But they're going to get the Falcons for a foul. Yeah, that was a defensive lapse there by Irons. He gave Ricks the baseline there. An easy look at the basket.

And the help defense came in and wound up fouling Ricks. But you've got to establish it. You've got to put that foot on the baseline. You can't let him inside like that. Payne gets the foul. Free throw by Ricks. Good. I gave him a 12. I'm probably missing some points. It's hard to keep the score today. But 50 to 47. He hits both. So, a four-point lead. 325 to go. Man-to-man defense coming from the Black Bears. Pearson sees that. He's playing with three fouls. He's guarded right there by Taylor.

Gets it now to Green. Green lost it on the floor. Fights for it. But goes out of bounds. And it goes back to Austin. And he is on the floor in front of the Florence bench. And every player from Florence goes over and helps him up. I love that. That's culture right there, Mike. That is a culture thing. And that's the thing. You've got to fight for your players. And when they're working hard and they're diving on the court like that, you better hustle over there and get their rear end up.

That does a great job by the Falcons. Horn set two up top. Get it to Ricks. Swings it back around to Williams. They're going to try to get it down to the baseline now. But in the lane, the floater no good. Rebound by Pearson. Outlet pass. Gets it out to Green who goes up with the left hand and lays it in. Green running the floor. Outran everybody. And turns the lead back to four. 51-47. Two. Excuse me. 51-49. Ricks to Pryor. Pryor has hit a lot of shots.

[1:04:18] Goes through that left hand in the lane. Laid it up and missed one. But the tip up no good. Tipped up the third time no good. Rebound by Florence. Falcons had it knocked away. Stolen away again. Austin with another look. This from 15. Up and good. Mike, those are the plays that will come back to beat you right there. It certainly is. And, you know, Austin being relentless and really never giving up on that play is what gave them the extra possession there and score. Baseline. Green stepped on the baseline.

Turnover Florence. And with 2.13 to go, Skipworth will come back in the game. Four-point lead for Austin in the basketball. You sort of sense maybe this is the two minutes really big right here, Mike. It's just like if you can keep it right here, you've got it where you want in the fourth quarter. Yeah, I think if you keep it within two buckets, you've got a chance. This Austin team is really tough, but it is a hard-fought matchup so far. Missed three-pointer. Rebound by Burnett. He's double-teaming backcourt.

Gets it to Payne who pushes it up the floor. Payne looks. In the corner. Open three. Pearson. Wouldn't go. Rebound. Fault for it. Skipworth got it. Double-teamed. Knocked it back out. Kicked it around. Swings it into Payne. Payne pulls up from 15. No good. Rebound by Skipworth again. He's double-teamed again. Kicks it back out. Ball neared and gone away. Pearson sighting for it. Last touch by Pearson. Yep. He definitely did. And good sportsmanship there. Pearson helping up Taylor, who was on the floor chasing. So, I think they're going to clean up aisle one again on this one.

Where body's on the floor. 53-49. A four-point lead for the Black Bears. Here comes Bursky checking into the game. 1-37 to go. That gets Skipworth out. Who has three. So, your defense for offense a little bit right now. Bursky did a great job in that first half. Getting some quality minutes and having an impact in the minutes that he had. So, you know, a big shift here for him with the Falcons. Pryor. Picked up by Bursky. Can't get the shot off. Swings it to the right side as they rotate the ball around.

Williams drives. Pulls up from 15. Up strong. No good. Tipped around. Ball on the floor. Bursky came in here. Tried to save it. Threw it off a player. But he said nobody touched it but Bursky. He did the right thing. But he couldn't get it off the Black Bears still to stay with Austin. Great hustle play there by Bursky. It didn't work out in his favor. Austin has the ball underneath on the baseline. Watch for the lob here. They lob it up top instead. Deep three on the way from the wing.

Short. No good. That one tipped around and finally taken down by Florence. Irons doubled. And finally they call a foul. Geez. He's getting hammered. Finally they call a foul. You know that's only the second team foul on Austin in this quarter. Haven't been just a ton of whistles. It was on either side. Right. For being this deep in the third quarter to only have five fouls is kind of miraculous. Skipworth Irons will be on the floor with Burnett, Pearson, and Payne. Pearson and Payne have been great but so has Burnett.

One minute to go down by four here in the third quarter. Irons at the elbow. Hands it off to Payne. Deep three at the top. Short. No good. Felt like he got hit. Saved in bounds but it was saved right to Ricks. And a whistle and a foul on Pearson. It's going to be number four. Good grief. He has had some ticky-tack fouls called on him reaching in. That one hurt. That one was not. As much as the game's been physical the past seven minutes. That was not a physical play.

Yeah. Very quick whistle. So, Burski will come in. And that changes the complexion of the rest of this game for sure. Payne will go to the point. That's a big foul call. Four-point lead for Austin to have the basketball. They go left on the horn set. Deep three again. This one no good. Rebound taken down by Florence. Skipworth has it. Out in the pass. Flows it up to Irons. Irons to Burski. Back to Irons. Laid it up. Put it in. Everybody over here in Florence is saying no, no, no.

But what a play by those two. That's the lead to two with 25 seconds to go. Hey, those are two linebackers out there. All right. That's all I got to say. And almost knocked away there. Payne goes for the steal again, and they're going to get the foul. That was the right call. That absolutely was. You know, just one of those hustle plays. Trying to make a play, especially to close out this quarter. But I like Payne understanding the end of the quarter. Understanding the game. Had a little momentum after that play.

Only the – oh, that was the 15th out of Florence. It'll be free throws. So Williams will shoot two. And he missed the first. We'll take it. Green will come in. Burski will come out. Hey, not just a ton of minutes, you know, he's put in tonight, but they've all been quality. They've been action-packed for sure. I tell you what. I'm starting to see this thing tonight, a little something happen. I'll just say it that way. Free throw is good. The lead is three. As Clowkins may play for the last shot with ten seconds to go.

[1:09:23] Get it to Skipworth. Skipworth at the wing. In the paint. Kicks it in the corner to Green. Green hounded there with three seconds. Got it to Payne for three. Ties it up at the buzzer. And listen to the crowd. We've got a good one going on at the coffee gym. We're tied at 54. We're back in one minute. Irons Electric has been family-owned and operated for 65 years. Irons Electric is deeply rooted in the Florence High School tradition and is happy to be a part of many past projects, including the recently completed new band room.

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We also have training for every level of experience. And with the Shoals Area Only Indoor Shooting Range, we're your place to practice or just come out and have some fun. Come out and see us in Underwood, Petersville. They're on the web at cypresscreekrange.com. Mention this ad on 93.9 The Score, and your first lane rental is free. Three quarters in the books. And could we be having a game that might be a, well, a game that could change the season in some way for this Falcon team?

One and nine have lost a lot of tough games. I've played a tough season, Mike. And right now, six players out with the flu. And they're playing shorthanded, and they're tied at 54. Yeah, just their ability to compete tonight, you know, and play at a high level. We've gotten a lot of quality minutes from guys off the bench and really playing some good, solid defense. And the ball was stolen away by Austin right off the bat. They get it to Williams, who put it up and missed it.

Rebound, they're taken down by Ricks. They'll spin in the lane, put it in. Take the lead by two. So that was not good quality of holding on to the basketball for Florence there, but they've played hard. Now Austin's going to turn it up a notch. You can sort of sense it. Payne, top of the key, gets by his defender, goes in the paint, layup. Wouldn't go, but he's fouled. He'll shoot two. Need a monster quarter out of J.C. on this quarter here with Pearson out thus far.

With four fouls. With four fouls. That's really going to be tough for the Falcons. Need another couple of Falcons to step up here and really compete. Payne to shoot two. The lefty, a junior. Rolls out for me. A nice soft touch. How many do you have for him for the day? Is that 13? No. I'm probably missing several. That's 15. All right. This to tie it up. And he does. Tied at 56. 7.30 to go in the game. Buckle up, Falcon fans. Here we go. Williams front court for Austin.

High set. Tries to get to prior. Good help right there. Good chop. Rich tried to spin on Green. Has to get rid of it in the corner. A deep three up and no good. Rebound, though, is long. He goes right back to Austin again. Block shot, and they're going to get a foul called. I'm not sure about that one. Who got him? Two Falcons went up. Now, who'd they call a foul on? Burnett. I will say this about Burnett. He has hops. He certainly does. We saw him early on on a run out.

Rick's had an easy opportunity for a dunk, and he fought back hard and almost made a play on that. The roof would have blown off this place if he blocked it. Pryor to shoot two free throws. First one, no good. Pryor's had a really solid night here for Austin. He's been a matchup problem here for the Falcons all evening. Second free throw to come to give the Black Bears a one-point lead. Tied at 56 right now with 7-10 to go. Pryor shooting in front of the Falcons student section.

Rattled that one home. Falcons will bring it up to the floor. Austin will pick up at half court. Payne picked up on the right wing here right in front of us, courtside. Now double-teamed, threw it away. He's been held on the inside, he thought, but couldn't get the call with Irons. Turnover, Florence. Irons isn't going to the ground for fun. He's not a clumsy kid. He definitely took a hit there, but no call. Very, very beneficial there for Austin. One-point lead for the Black Bears. They have the basketball winner.

Seven to go. Williams will bring it up to the floor. Right wing with it. Up top, swinging around. One to go inside of the can to Riggs on the post. Spins and doubles and split the double-teamed. They missed the shot. Got his own rebound. Knocked away, though, and stolen by Green. Green gets out of there and gets it to Skipworth, and Burnett will bring it up to the floor. He's not going to stop. Burnett to the basket. Lay up. Euro step. No good. Rebound taken down by Black Bears.

[1:14:39] A little out of control that time. Yeah, I mean, that's just a young player trying to make a play there. You know, could have had a better opportunity, but, you know, look, you live and die by the freshman mistake there. Pryor, this is a jumper. Rebound by Green. Gets it out to Burnett again. He's got a one-on-one to the basket. Laid it up. Put it in. Got a lot of contact on that. No call. You're right about that. But the Falcons lead it by one, and the Falcon crowd starting to come to life a little bit.

Six minutes to go. One-point lead. Williams to the left side. Goes baseline. Block shot inside. Out of bounds. Last touch by Irons. Irons and Burnett went up for a sandwich block on that one. Falcons are giving up on defense, giving up that baseline a little bit too much. I don't like that. Giving clear lane to the basket. Giving Austin good looks there. That's not the best defense. Lewis, Irons, Burnett, Payne, and Pearson on the floor for Florence as they defend. Austin has to lob it in to Pryor.

Falcons go back to a 2-3 zone. Sort of switching up defenses here. Swinging it back around. Deep three on the way. This time good. They get it to a shooter, and that's Taylor. Taylor drains the three and gives the Black Bears a two-point lead. Pearson to Irons on the box. Got a step. Put it up. It wouldn't go. Did everything right. Lewis put the rebound up in the end. Wow. Lewis fighting for that one. And we're tied at 16. It is Falcon coaching staff. They're coaching like it's a state championship game.

I love what I see out of them right now. Deep three by Taylor again. No good. Rebound goes right to the Black Bears. In the lane. Good pass inside. Laid up and good. That's right. We got the basket. Pearson will bring up the floor with four fouls. He's got to be careful always. We're under five to go. A two-point lead. Pearson gives it into Irons. Irons goes up. They're going to call the offensive foul. And, oh, I don't think the coach liked that one. Coach Dylan Burleson doesn't like a whole lot about it.

But I think that one was missed. Dylan Burleson thinks it was missed. I'll say it that way. 62-60. 4-51 to go. And I thought Irons made a pretty good play. We'll leave it at that. He had his guy pinned back with his back to the basket exactly as you teach it. He made a pivot move around. And it was just a beautiful low block move as you see it 1,400 times a game. Stolen away by Florence. Pearson in back court. Gets rid of it now to Lewis.

Lewis now in the front court. Gets it to Payne. Payne says, slow it down. Let's run. Down by two. Florence with a basketball. Payne driving to the basket. Nowhere to go. Kicking back out to Pearson. Pearson. Top of the key. Three to get the lead. Got it. Jay shot. Drains the three. Florence. Bench explodes. Florence crowd on its feet. Timeout on the floor. 4-15 to go in the game. Falcons lead it by one. Don't go away. We're back in one minute. Getting the kids to practice on time.

Remembering if it's your day to bring snacks. Making it to the game with a clean jersey. Why are simple things sometimes so complicated? Thankfully, with auto owners, insurance doesn't have to be one of them. Auto owners works with independent agents who answer when you call. So you can worry about more important things. Like whether your kid is going to run toward first or third base. That's simple human sense. In Florence, see Luke Brown at Henniger Johnson & Layton Insurance. Call 256-764-8682. Florence Utilities offers several ways to view and pay your utility bill.

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Or call 256-760-6512 for more information. 5-15 to go in the game. And Florence on the Jayshod Pearson three-pointer takes a 63-62 lead. Kevin Johnson, Mike Albertson. Mike, this Falcon team tonight, shorthanded. They are playing maybe their best game of the season. They certainly are, you know, getting quality minutes out of guys off the bench. Really fighting hard. Our big men underneath are really causing some problems here for Austin. And this team is actually gelling right before our eyes. The Falcons got to stay with Williams.

Now where he is. They keep getting it to him. He takes the deep three. Missed it. No good. Riggs got away with a push off there. Put the jumper up and good. Well, that's what the Falcon coaching staff was hollering for. Lawrence with the basketball. Trail by one now. Payne in the paint. Floater. No good. Wouldn't go. Rebound. Fault for it. Should have been a jump ball, but it's taken down by Austin. We can't get a break right now. One-point lead for the Black Bears in the basketball.

[1:19:40] Williams up the floor. Hands it off to the point guard, Taylor, now running the top of the key. They run against the 2-3 zone. Florence daring them to shoot the three. That one's up. Back rim. No good. Rebound taken by Pearson. He's fouled in back court. Florence trails 64-63. I'm trying to help keep the player that didn't know. He's ready to go in the game. Kevontae Green. I tapped him on the shoulder and about broke my hand. Man, that's a muscular kid. Florence with the basketball.

3.20 to go. Trailing by one. Don't need to panic here. Just need to play your game. Irons swings it to Burnett. Goes baseline. Pulls it back. Jumper. No good. Hit the back rim. Wouldn't go. Rebound taken down by Ricks. That wasn't a bad look. Ricks will bring it up forward. Don't let him get ahead of steam here. He likes to handle the basketball and can. To Taylor. To Pryor. Taylor swings it back around. Now they got to Ricks in the paint. Kicks it to the corner. They move the ball quickly.

Can't believe Ricks didn't pull that one from seven feet. They lob it in. And all knocked away on the floor. Chased down by Florence. Good steal there. Payne will bring it up the floor. Quickly down the floor. He found it to Green. He laid it in. And Florence leads. Austin was pressing. Florence wasn't messing. They throw it down the floor. They lay it up. And with 2.30 to go. Falcons lead it by one. 2-3 zone by the Falcons. Black Bears top of the key. Pryor. Looking up around.

Swings it around. Up top. Williams has it. On the wing. Let's go. Let's go. Now they get it in the paint. Good look there. Lost it going up. But it goes for Ricks. He laid it in. Wow. That's an incredible play there by Pryor who kept his foot. And passed it off. Yo-yo lead. Pearson speaking of. Yo-yo spins in the corner. Keeps the dribble alive. Back up top. Gets it to Payne. At the free throw line. Payne needs somebody to come help him. Gets it to Burnett.

Deep three. Back around. No good. Rebound chased down. Irons went for it. Couldn't get it. Now comes Austin with it. Williams down the floor. Williams hands it back out. And they bring it back out. Under two to go. A one-point lead. The Black Bears have the basketball. Florence has two team fouls. Austin has three. And a foul called on Payne. And now substitution's coming. Skipworth will come in. Burnett will come out. With one-thirty six to go. Another sub comes Lewis in. And, Mike, you see a coach knows his team.

He knows what he's doing here. Getting defense for offense. You're getting the defense for offense. Guys that aren't in foul trouble are going to be on this floor. They're going to wind up trying to go for a steal here. But stopping the clock and getting a foul. They go inside out. Kick it to the corner. Three on the way. Good. Set play. And they found a wide-open stat who brings the three and the lead's up to four. Timeout taken by Florence with one-twenty-six to go. We'll do the same.

Falcon basketball back in 30. This is Miranda Haddock with the Florence Education Foundation. We invite you to support our Friends of the Foundation campaign. As a friend of the Foundation, you can contribute any amount to help fund classroom needs in Florence City Schools. Please visit our website at FlorenceEducationFoundation.org to explore our new giving levels and the added perks available. We want to wish Coach Burleson and the entire Falcon basketball team good luck this season. One-twenty-six to go in the game and a three-pointer by Statton. Tim Statton drains a three for Austin, gives the Black Bears a four-point lead, 69-65.

This Falcon team has battled all season. Boy, they've done everything they can tonight to win this game, giving up a lot to Austin. But, Mike, it's not over yet. Still a lot of basketball here. This is a big possession, obviously. Yeah, it's a huge possession here, you know, with a four-point game there with a minute-twenty-six to go. The Falcons need to come up with something here, you know, to make this a one-possession game with about a minute to go. And, you know, as this Falcon defense is going to continue to compete and fight, you know, grabbing those rebounds and filling those lanes are going to be huge coming down the stretch.

One-twenty-six to go. Florence will have Pearson Payne, Lewis Green, and Skipworth on the floor. And this Austin team is really quick. They get into Skipworth, right back to Pearson. Pearson, that double team's coming. He knows it, keeps the dribble alive. Now he throws it in the corner. Gets it to Skipworth, back to Pearson. Pearson will open, three on the way. Need it, wouldn't go. Rebound tipped out, chased down by Green in the corner. And he threw it away, but it's out of bounds. Last touch by Austin.

[1:24:41] Green blew a tire on the left foot. He's having to fix that in the corner. One-eleven to go. Looked like one of the Austin players, while his foot was out of bounds, touched that basketball, so it goes Falcon possession. Get it in to Green on the sideline, back to Skipworth to Pearson. Boy, I had trouble with that. Pearson, guarded closely. Gets the switch, goes into the paint. Yo-yos, up and under, layup, good. Wow, what a play by Pearson. Custer lead to two. We're under a minute to go.

Florence has three team fouls that are going to pick up at midcourt. Williams, double team, and a timeout called, taken by the Black Bears. We'll do the same. 48 seconds to go. Florence down by two. Come back and see us in 30. Hello, my name is Keith Medley, and I'm an attorney with the law firm of Johnson, Passeur, Medley, and Burchill. Why call an out-of-town lawyer when you can call our law firm, which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law. If you have a legal matter, please call me or Leslie Johnson, Debra Bell Passeur, Adam Burchill at 256-766-3131.

We're proud to be a sponsor of Florence High School Athletics. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. 48 seconds to go in this one. It's been a good one. Florence trails Austin 69-67. Black Bears with a basketball. Florence has one timeout left. They have two fouls to still give. Austin has three fouls to give before his free throws. Florence has Skipworth on the floor along with Burnett, Green, Payne, and Irons.

They lob it inside and nearly knocked away and stole it by Green. Lobs it down to Burnett, who's chasing for it. Can't get it and chased down by Austin. Had a chance and couldn't get it. Oh, my goodness. What a play. Austin back down the floor. Has it. Unbelievable. A foul called on Payne. Oh, my goodness, Mike. Green had it in backcourt. And he had Burnett, but it was just a great play by Austin. Yeah, it certainly was. And, you know, Burnett was trying to get it down the court.

And the Austin player did a great job of cutting his lane off. Kind of lost the ball for a second. And Austin wound up stealing that one. So, that was a great opportunity for the Falcons that fell a little short. But, you know, they're still here to compete. Berski checks in. 36 seconds ago. Two-point game. Lawrence now will pressure at midcourt. Williams in the corner. And a whistle and a foul called on Burnett. It's not a bad foul by Burnett. The freshman caught the foul in there.

And two free throws coming for Williams. Pearson and Payne getting ready to check back in after the first free throw. Right. Doing the defense for offense thing. Just making sure that Pearson and Payne stay out of foul trouble. Need him to miss one. Yep. Need him to miss one here. And he misses the first one. Berski will come out. Pearson will come in. Payne will come in. Skip Earth will come out. He missed one. This to keep it a two-point game. He misses this one. But you've got to rebound.

You've got to box out. You're right in front of that Falcons student section. Shirtless by some. Second free throw. No good. Rebound. Chased down by Burnett. Burnett fouled. Backcourt. No call. But he gets rid of it to Pearson. We're down by two with 25 seconds to go. Pearson in backcourt. And a well-turnover. Travel with the basketball. And it'll go back to Austin. Now it's a great play there by Williams. And nobody was there to help Jayshott. It wasn't Jayshott's fault. Nobody came to help him. You know, in those defensive situations.

Getting the ball down the court, obviously super important. But the Falcons had their backs all turned. So when Jayshott went to make that pass, he had to pull up his pivot foot. And that was an easy call for the official. And a foul call. Burst, he comes in and fouls Statton. He's a good shooter. From three-point land, we don't know what he's like from free throws. 20 seconds to go. A little unconventional shot, too. It is. It's a strange release. But it works for him, you know.

The right-hander's first one spins it. Puts it up. Back rim, no good. That's an awkward release. Pearson and Payne will check back in. Timeout taken. The final timeout taken by Florence. Trailing 69-67 with 20 seconds to go. Let's take a 30. We're back in 30. At North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, our Shoals roots run deep. We provide quick access and familiar, friendly faces so you never have to feel just like a number. From sports medicine to joint replacement, expert care happens right here at home. As UNA Athletics' choice for orthopedics and the trusted orthopedic team of the Shoals families for over 30 years, North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic is here for you.

[1:29:46] Learn more at nabjc.com. 20 seconds to go in the game. Florence trails at 69-67. The Black Bears missed the first rate, though. They'll have one more to go. But Florence can tie it with a three, possibly, or win it with a three if he misses one. Kevin Johnson, Mike Alberson, if you're Dylan Burleson, you just used your last timeout. You've got to make sure the five you want on the floor right now. What do you say to your team? You know, it's really true. He's just explaining the situation and what we need.

We don't need to do anything other than try and tie this ballgame. As we go, look for your shots. You've got 20 seconds to go. You've probably got one crack at this. But also know right away, once you miss that shot, if they rebound, you've got to get the foul here. But it's all dependent on this free throw and, you know, whether or not you need a two or three. So it's just going to be interesting how they talk about it. Pearson, Payne, Skipworth, Irons, and Green on the floor.

Austin has two fouls to still give to with 20 seconds to go. He missed the first at Statton. Now the second one to come. Don't let him on the back either. Second free throw, got that one to go. Three-point game. They get it into Pearson in the backcourt. Pearson up the floor. Pearson with a man on his back. And they finally call the foul. He shoots it, but they won't give him the three shots with 14 seconds to go. He was trying. He understood the game. That's a veteran play by a senior with 14 seconds.

They're only the third team foul, so they've got one more to give. They may foul twice and make foul and shoot free throws. Watch for Pearson to get it back if he can get it in. Looking, looking. Lobs it up to Irons, and it's knocked away and stolen away. No foul called. That's going down to Pryor. He goes all the way in. Bodies up and lays it in. No call. Lawrence down by five. We'll have it with five seconds to go. Payne a running three up.

No good. Rebound taken by Austin, and that will do it. And the Black Bears win it 72-67. Tough, tough loss for the Florence Falcons. This is Falcon Basketball. We're back in one minute. When you're in the mood for a sweet treat just the way you like it, Yogurt Mountain on Cox Creek Parkway has you covered. With 16 rotating flavors, 40 toppings, and a dozen sauces, the combinations are endless. So whether you want a simple treat or a decked-out dessert, just grab a cup and create your ultimate frozen yogurt concoction.

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Our team is experienced in caring for every child, from infants to teenagers to children with special needs. Call one of our three locations today or visit our website at treehousedentist.com. We're so excited to see you soon at Treehouse Children's Dentistry, a branch of Singing River Dentistry. Back here at the Coffee Gym, a tough one tonight for the Florence Falcons. Battling without many of their players who've been sick, six players missing tonight's game, several starters, couple starters too. But it was a battle down to the end, and Florence had a chance, but a steal and a layup gave Austin a five-point lead and a five-point win.

172-67, Dylan Burleson, I just waved him on and said, you need to be with your team. Those kids fought so hard tonight. They gave everything they had but just come up short against some good, awesome team. And, Mike, you know, we talked about this with Coach Dylan Burleson before the game. Basketball is a tournament sport, a tournament sport and everything. And we know that. I know the record is not what they want right now, but I saw many steps forward tonight. Right. You know, being able to establish a couple extra scores and guys that could really give you some good quality minutes.

Kevante Green, you know, getting a little healthy and getting back in the basketball shape is certainly helpful. I mean, we fought hard tonight. You know, it's a shame that we came short with this one. But, you know, that's the difference between December basketball and February-March basketball. You know what I mean? And so, look, as this team continues to learn, develop, and grow, they're going to do a good job of continuing to compete. I mean, this team is really close. And we saw some glimpses of it tonight.

Well, the Falcons battled with Austin back and forth all night long. They led 15-14 after one. They trailed at the half by six, 38-32. That was the best quarter of the night for the Black Bears. Then at the end of the third quarter, I believe it was a tie game. And then here at the fourth quarter, Austin wins at 72-67. And, I mean, it was one of those back and forth and some great moments for Florence, some great plays. And effort plays. I mean, there was turnovers, but there were effort plays.

[1:35:07] It just, the ball didn't bounce their way when you needed to bounce their way at times. You're absolutely correct. And, you know, Austin did a great job of really pressuring this Falcon team to where, you know, they had some nice defensive stands, and Florence turned the ball over a little bit. So, you know, hats off to Austin. They really earned it down the stretch. You know, when the Falcons came back and tied it, they said buckle up. We knew it was going to be a tough fourth quarter.

But, you know, Austin pulled away with it late after a couple really close plays. You're listening to the TNT Fireworks post-game show, Florence Falcon Basketball. Let's take a 30-second timeout. This is Falcon Basketball. Have you ever seen those halftime scholarships where you have to nail a 40-yard field goal? Yeah, this isn't that. I didn't have to write a long essay or audition or make a half-court shot. I just had to open a bank independent account, use my debit card, sign up for online banking, and have a positive balance.

That's it. A 20% scholarship to UNA. When bank independent invests in students like me, they're investing in all of us and the future of our community. Bank independent. We're invested in your future. Member FDIC. The voice of the Florence High School Falcons. WYTK-FM. Rogersville. Athens. Decatur. The Shoals. 93-9. The Score. Not great news for the Falcon fans tonight. Tough, tough loss in a game in which the Falcons fall from beginning to end. They fall to a really good Austin team, 72-67 tonight, to fall to 0-3 in area play.

And, Mike, we have seen now Austin. We have seen Bob Jones. We have seen James Clemens. We have seen all three teams. And Florence has lost all three, but at the same time, I think we see that this area is, you know, going to be like always. Throw it in the bag, and out comes the teams that can play at the end, who's playing hot. Right, you know, all these teams right now, as we've seen them grow, you know, you've got James Clemens and Bob Jones have basically the same lineup and the same with Austin.

So, it's really, I mean, they're really seasoned teams. And for the Falcons to really compete down to the wire against this Austin team shows how close this team truly is. And, you know, as the season goes on, we're probably going to be able to sneak up on some of these teams as we get closer towards tournament time. Dylan Burleson, his staff had a great game plan considering all the adversity they had in the past 24 hours with sickness. Put together a plan. A lot of guys stepped up.

I thought Kevontae Green played well tonight coming off the bench. Burnett had that flash of a 7-0 run as a freshman. You're going to live and die with him at times, and it's good, but he's going to be special if he keeps it going the right direction. You see a lot of good things coming, and that's a good thing for this Falcon team in the future. And J. Sean Pearson and J. Sean Payne, man, those two guys, they have been workhorses in this season. And I know it's a lot on them, but those guys, they can play.

They know that. And you start to see it come together around them a little bit tonight, didn't you, Mike? Absolutely. You know, and those guys, you know, are the epitome of leaders. But they're not the most vocal guys on the court, but just with how hard they play and their certitude and how calm they are and really are a calming force to a lot of these guys that may have deer-in-the-headlight moments at times. But, you know, just watching these young players grow around them, you know, this team is going to be fine down the stretch.

Let's get our stats brought to us by our good friends at Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A is still open tonight, I think, for another hour or so. We'll check that. It's a Friday night, so they're still open there. Go by and soon for breakfast in the morning. Mike Albertson, take it away. Thanks, Kevin. Leading the way for Austin was Quinton Pryor with 20 points. Caden Ricks had 19. Stanton finished with 14 points. Williams with 10. Wright Jr. with four points. Jermichael Taylor with three. And Caleb Caudill with two points. Leading the way for the Falcons was J. Cian Payne with 16 points.

J. Shaw Pearson with 13. Zai Burnett with 12. Kavante Green with 11. J.V. and Lewis with four. Bo Berski with two. J. Nyrance with four. And look like Tamari and Skipworth with three points. Falcons fall to Austin 72-67 on this Friday night. Our next broadcast Tuesday night as an unusual opponent comes all the way north. Pinson Valley, one of the top teams in basketball. We'll be headed this way to take on the Falcons. They have outstanding athletes. If you know Pinson Valley, we have faced them in football when Bo Nix was the quarterback there.

We have faced them in different things. They have a great basketball program as well. They're coming to Florence Tuesday night. You won't want to miss that one. They'll be right here on 93.9 The Score. And we're looking forward to that as well. For our station manager, Greg Thornton. For Caleb back in 93.9 The Score Studios. And for my good friend, Mike Albertson, who really surprised me to not appreciate his help in pulling one off on me. And John McDaniel and others. And a thank you to all the Falcon coaching staff and others who were very kind to me tonight.

[1:40:16] That was very gracious. 20 years. I hope we can do it 20 more. I'm Kevin Johnson saying have a great night. Go Falcons. And as always, folks, I'll see you in church on Sunday. Good night, everyone. You've been listening to Florence Falcons Basketball on Sports Radio 93.9 The Score. Florence Falcons Basketball on 93.9 The Score has been brought to you by Florence Utilities. Florence City Schools. The law firm of Johnson Pasture, Medley & Virtual. Lost Pizza. North Alabama Bone & Joint Clinic. T&T Fireworks. Yogurt Mountain. Whataburger. Singing River Dentistry. Bank Independent.

Irons Electric. Cypress Creek Indoor Range. And Hinegar Johnson & Layton Insurance. Thanks for listening. And go Falcons!