“With several of his teammates out of the game due to illness, senior Brian Gabelein handles extra passing and shooting duty Friday.Matt Johnson, staff photoThe first win of the season again eluded the South Whidbey boys basketball team as the Falcons lost a pair to Sultan and Blaine.In Friday’s contest, a shorthanded Falcon lineup started strong against the Sultan Turks, but came up short by game’s end, losing 53-45. Saturday’s game treated the Falcons no better when Blaine came to Erikson Gymnasium to hand South Whidbey its 15th straight loss in a 58-39 game.Of the two, the Sultan game gave the Falcons their best opportunity to snap the losing streak. Replacing an ailing Brandon Turner at point guard, senior Brett Perkins got his team off to a good start, scoring 6 points in the first three minutes of play. His contribution kept the Falcons within one point of the Turks in the first quarter, which got the team’s fans onto their feet. Though the Falcons stayed close for the rest of the game, the Turks got 7 points of distance by halftime and were able to hold off the South Whidbey offense. Junior Tim Gabelein led Falcon scorers with 20.Against Blaine, the Falcons could not stay close. They were left at the gate in a 10-2 first quarter and never drew near the Borderites. Though Tim Gabelein again put up 20 points on the night, the team’s overall 14-for-53 field goal shooting doomed any chance of a comeback run.Falcon coach Andy Davis said the Sultan game was one he and his players had hoped they could win. But, with three players out due to illness, the team’s lineup was stretched too thin and could not hold up against their fresher competition.The Falcons play next on Feb. 6 when they host to Meridian. “