The Falcons opened the game with a 6-0 run, capped with a jumper by Fitzgerald from the top of the key, to take an early lead.

Young said he was impressed with his team’s fast start in the game’s opening minutes.

“We came out with a lot of energy and a lot of defensive intensity that really got us going,” Young said.

Anderson responded with an 8-0 run of its own to take its only lead of the first half, 8-6, with 16:32 remaining in the opening half.

Montevallo followed the Anderson run with a 10-0 run, which was capped with a thunderous two-handed slam by Rivera, with 13:22 left in the opening half to take a 18-8 lead.

The Falcons stretched their lead to as many as 12 points following a floater in the lane by May with 10:26 left in the first half, which gave Montevallo a 26-14 advantage.

Anderson cut the deficit to just six points, 33-27, following a 3-pointer by Kyle Sledge with 4:54 remaining in the first half, but the Falcons closed the opening half with a 11-3 run to carry a 44-30 lead into the locker room at halftime. Rivera’s two-handed backward slam, the last basket in the opening half, with 18 seconds remaining capped a 7-0 run by the Falcons.