OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — Steve Boyd knows he and his Seoul American Falcons boys basketball team can expect one thing whenever they go up against Osan American:

Trouble.

The host Cougars sliced a 16-point deficit down to one in the third period before the Falcons pulled away Wednesday for a 59-44 victory. The game was similar to Seoul’s 60-51 victory Dec. 10 at Falcon Gym, where the Falcons rallied from a 41-35 third-quarter deficit.

"Osan plays us tough. They played us hard at home and they played us hard here. I don’t know what it is. Osan always plays us hard," Boyd said.

Willie Brown scored 13 points and Joe McLean 12 to help the Falcons (27-9 overall) remain unbeaten in Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference Division I at 12-0. Osan (6-4) has lost two of its last three.

Seoul’s girls, meanwhile, had little trouble staving off the Cougars, outscoring Osan 22-2 in the first quarter and cruising to a 66-29 triumph. The Falcons (17-1, 10-0) handed the Cougars just their second loss in 10 games this season, both to Seoul.

One thing that Boyd feels contributed to the victory over Osan — and all the Falcons’ other victories — is depth.

While other Pacific powers may have one or two players per position, Boyd feels his Falcons can go deep in the well, especially inside, where Marcus Thompson and Josh Edwards complement starters McLean and RaiDion Fails. And Brown can play either guard position as well as small or power forward.

"I don’t think anybody in the Pacific can match [what] I’ve got," Boyd said, adding his Falcons have "a little more depth" in the paint than past teams. "You have to have depth at all positions to win at Far East. If one gets in foul trouble, I put in somebody else who’s equal and not lose any ground."

The Falcons girls were thought to be rebuilding after five guards and inside star Avianca Manning graduated and the team adjusted to a new coach for the first time since the 1986 season. But going on their record, at least, Billy Ratcliff and his Falcons haven’t missed a step.

Taking individual parts and molding them into a solid team chemistry, Ratcliff said, has been chiefly responsible for Seoul’s early success.

"We’re as team-oriented as a team can get," he said. "I have a lot of people who can step up. I don’t have a standout. And I have two backup post players who can start for most any team."

The arrival of sophomore post players Destinee’ Harrison and Diamond Person have more than made up for Manning’s absence. Fellow sophomore Liz Gleaves, who led the Falcons with 19 points against Osan, "is phenomenal, covers so much of the court," Ratcliff said.

The game did feature one sour note for Seoul’s girls, who lost Harrison with an ankle sprain. It’s not known how long she’ll be sidelined.

The victories over the Cougars send the Falcons boys and girls into a crucial battle for first place in KAIAC at Falcon Gym against Seoul Foreign. The Crusaders boys (14-1, 7-1) actually own Korea’s best boys record and are second in KAIAC; the girls (12-4, 8-2) are tied for second with Osan.

"That’s certainly in KAIAC the biggest game of the season so far," Boyd said. "It will be a big showdown. I know I’m looking forward to the challenge."

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