Marble Falls girls basketball loses to Stephenville in matchup of ranked opponents
CAPTION: Marble Falls senior guard Alyssa Berkman passes the ball before Stephenville can set a double-team Dec. 19. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School girls basketball team lost to Stephenville 29-23 Dec. 19.
The Lady Mustangs (11-7), ranked No. 23 in the Class 4A poll of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, committed numerous unforced errors during the contest, especially in overthrowing teammates on the offensive end that resulted in empty possessions. That lead to a 4-3 Marble Falls lead after the first quarter and a 17-9 Stephenville advantage at the half that went to 24-16 after three periods.
“We didn’t take care of the ball,” head coach John Berkman said. “Our defense kept us in the game as usual. We had 17 turnovers in the first half; you can’t win games doing that. We panicked. There’s really no reason for them.”
Both teams struggled on the offensive end, but the Honey Bees, ranked No. 9 in the Class 4A TABC poll, ensured the Lady Mustangs’ struggles lasted longer.
Marble Falls led 9-5 thanks to a three-point play scored by senior forward Emma Bindseil with 5 minutes and 45 seconds left in the half. But that would be the last Lady Mustang lead.
Meanwhile Stephenville went on a 12-0 run to close out the half. Both teams scored seven points apiece in the third stanza and Marble Falls outscored Stephenville 7-5 in the fourth.
Stephenville senior forward Mya Wilson, the daughter of Tarleton State head coach Misty Wilson who signed to play for her mother, and senior guard Lillie Skiles led all scorers with 10 points each. Sophomore forward Kyla Kay finished with seven points, and sophomore guard Vanessa Gonzalez had two.
Marble Falls senior guard Tea Rodriguez scored seven points, while senior guard Alyssa Berkman hit two 3-pointers, junior center Lexie Edwards and Bindseil each scored four points, and sophomore forward Bethany Fry finished with two.
When Marble Falls mishandled the ball, the Honey Bees were right there to get it.
“Their reaction to the ball was better than ours today,” John Berkman said. “Offensively, we didn’t take care of the ball — that’s what hurt us. Ultimately it was a game of us taking care of the ball, and we didn’t do it. That hurts when you don’t get shots.”
Marble Falls travels to play at the Mansfield tournament Dec. 28-30.
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