Marble Falls boys basketball wins one tourney win, almost earns another

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior guard Kody Smith scored a game-high 27 points to help the Mustangs beat San Antonio Edison Dec. 1. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team beat San Antonio Edison 51-42 Dec. 1 in its second game of the Subway Classic.

The Mustangs lost to Lufkin Hudson in double overtime 64-61 to begin the tournament Nov. 30. Maxpreps.com has the Hornets ranked No. 2 in Class 4A.

Against Edison, Marble Falls scored first when junior point guard Tidus Willie was fouled on a drive to the basket and made a free throw. Edison answered with a 3-point play, but that was its only lead of the game.

Meanwhile the Mustangs answered with a 10-0 run that led to a 17-8 advantage after the first quarter. Senior guard Kody Smith had 14 of the 17 points.

“Get it going,” he said. “It’s my first games back, and I wanted to get stuff started off right. I didn’t know I had that many in the first quarter. It kept going until the end of the third.”

Edison adjusted its defense and trimmed the deficit to 30-20 at the half.

Smith started the second half much like he did the first, dropping in 10 of the Mustangs’ 16 points in the third quarter and helped his team build a 22-point lead. By the end Marble Falls had a 46-28 advantage headed into the fourth period.

But Edison responded in the final quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 14-5. Marble Falls tightened defensively, especially in the final 90 seconds to ensure the victory.

Smith finished with 27 points in his third game for the Mustangs.

“It was good to get him going,” head coach Travis Crain said.

Willie added 11 points.

Crain credited Edison for continuing to play hard throughout the contest.

“They have a young squad,” Crain said. “They’re going to be a problem in a couple of years. They’re like us: hard workers, tough. We were fortunate to close them out.”

Smith pointed out wins like these are a testament to the the entire team and the players have built trust in one another over time.

“Chemistry,” he said. “We’ve known each other since middle school and elementary. We know how to play together.”

Crain called the loss to Hudson “the game” for his team.

“We played Mustang basketball,” he said. “We executed and defended. It was a back-and-forth game. It was tight and physical and rugged. And we were a 3-ball away from forcing a third overtime.”

At the end of regulation and the first overtime, Marble Falls had the ball for the final possession to force the extra sessions. Willie connected on a 3-pointer at the horn during the first overtime from a missed free throw.

“We were able to get it,” Crain said. “They missed a free throw and Tidus hit it.”

That contest may have been the type to lead to another defeat. But not with these Mustangs, Crain said.

“That showed us what we’re capable of against a high-quality opponent,” he said. “We played a playoff game in December. That only helps us get better. We’re learning these lessons now to go prepare us for later.”

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