Free throws determine outcome for Marble Falls boys basketball
The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team lost to Austin McCallum 46-36 Nov. 21 before taking the rest of the Thanksgiving holiday week off.
“We competed well, we played hard,” head coach Travis Crain said. “Defensively, we played well. We started well. We withstood their run and didn’t give them the lead. If they did get it, we were able to get it right back.”
Marble Falls (1-3) had a six-point lead at the end of the first quarter, and the two teams played to a tie at the half.
The Knights (5-5) took a four-point lead with 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in the third quarter and expanded that advantage to 10 by the end.
“We couldn’t score, and they hit their free throws,” Crain said. “We went on a dry spell, and they hit six consecutive free throws. We could only score four points. That two-minute start in the third quarter is what got us.”
Marble Falls thought it connected on a play to change the trajectory of the contest when a whistle blew while junior guard Tidus Willie was shooting. Marble Falls thought he’d been fouled and was stepping to the line for a 3-point play. Instead, officials changed the call to charging and awarded the possession to McCallum.
“That was a momentum-swinging play,” the coach said. “We were down five to down two, and we needed that play to go on a run.”
Both teams scored the same number of points in the fourth quarter that ensured a McCallum victory.
Tidus led with 20 points followed by Davis Dreisbach with 6, Noah Lyon with 3, and Jaime Castillo finished with 1.
The Mustangs holding McCallum to under 50 points give them a chance at a win. But the Knights’ free throw shooting determined the outcome. They connected on 10 of 15 attempts.
“We gave up a couple of second-chance points,” Crain said. “We were a little stuck in the third quarter. We went dry. We were in it. It was a five-point game that could have gone either way for a good chunk of it. They pulled away at the end of the third quarter.”
Marble Falls travels to play at Lake Belton Tuesday, Nov. 28. The subvarsities play at 6:15 p.m. and the varsity follows at 7:30 p.m.
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