The South Whidbey boys basketball team took the Sultan Turks to task Tuesday, winning 49-45 in the Cascade Conference match-up.

Sultan got off to a fast start, leading by three points in the first quarter, but spirited Falcon defense, superlative shooting from Falcons Riley Newman and Cole Erikson, plus over-the-top performances from Andy Bennett and Jordan Thornley, prevented Sultan from maintaining its initial blistering pace.

A last-minute three-point scare from Sultan’s Theo VandenEkart fell flat as South Whidbey made inventive use of the shot clock and Newman’s transition buckets.

“My strategy was to make layins, which worked at the start, but we weren’t able to keep Newman away from the hoop,” said Sultan coach Nate Trichler.

Newman posted 20 points, Erikson added 12 and Thornley, eight.

In the first game of Tuesday’s double-header, the Falcon girls team couldn’t make the shots needed and were unable to contain Turk guard Bianca O’Hara, whose leg injury didn’t stop her from leading all shooters with 23 points. The South Whidbey girls lost, 52-24.