Confidence is a big factor for Marble Falls girls basketball

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior center Lexie Edwards draws a crowd of Wimberley Texanns as she makes her way to the basket. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School girls basketball team lost to Wimberley 58-35 Dec. 5.

Both teams began with intensity. Wimberley controlled the opening tip and missed the lay-up but got the rebound and passed to guard Lily Dela Rosa for a wide-open 3-pointer.

Marble Falls senior center Lexie Edwards answered by getting fouled while attempting a shot in the lane. A putback trimmed the deficit to 3-2. Marble Falls followed that with a lay-up by power forward Bethany Fry, an Edwards drive to the hoop, and a shot from the low block by sophomore center Leslie Reynosa for a 10-5 lead with 2 minutes and 35 seconds left in the quarter.

But Wimberley ended the opening stanza on an 8-0 run for a 13-10 advantage.

The Lady Mustangs quickly made up the deficit to take a 16-15 and 18-17 advantage with 6:01 left in the half. The Texanns relied heavily on Dela Rosa and Baylee Gold to build a 35-19 by the intermission. Dela Rosa hit back-to-back 3-pointers and completed an old-fashioned 3-point play all within a 45-second stretch.

Dela Rosa scored 18 of her 20 points and Gold dropped in 13 of her 15 points in the opening 16 minutes.

Wimberley put massive pressure on Marble Falls’ ball handlers and committed to making the Lady Mustangs uncomfortable on the perimeter. They set traps and cut off dribbling lanes to the basket and passing lanes to the posts.

Lady Mustangs head coach John Berkman noted Wimberley’s experience was on full display. In short, the Texanns played like a squad that’s spent hours on the court long before they made the trip to Marble Falls.

“They made some plays, and we made them make plays,” he said. “Experience knows how to do that and when to do that.”

As for his own squad, Berkman said it’s not about natural ability or skill.

“We need to find some confidence and start believing in ourselves,” he said. “We have a lot of talent but we don’t believe in ourselves. Unfortunately, experience takes time. We have to get there quickly and we have to make more plays. We have to find more scorers for sure.”

Reynosa showed her ability to contribute by driving to the basket from the high post for lay-ups. She and Edwards each scored 9 points. Junior shooting guard Caitlynn Johnson dropped in 6 points.

“Leslie is one of our younger players we need to come along,” Berkman said.

Defensively, junior power forward Kylie Roberts was at the front, often starting about where the penetration line runs from sideline to sideline. Coaches want to use her height, wing span and speed to put pressure on the ball handler to make faster decisions on what to do with the basketball. Roberts rarely gave up on a play. Case in point was when she swatted the ball loose and dived to keep it in-bounds while landing in the visitors’ bleachers.

“She anticipates so well,” Berkman said.

Marble Falls welcomes Comal Pieper Friday, Dec. 8, with the subvarsities playing at 5:15 p.m. and the varsity at 6:30 p.m.

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