Marble Falls boys basketball almost closes the gap against Fredericksburg

CAPTION: Marble Falls junior guard Isaiah Lazos (1), senior guard Kody Smith (11) and junior guard Garen Jones are big reasons why the Mustangs made a run in the fourth quarter against Fredericksburg. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team lost to Fredericksburg 61-49 Dec. 5.

The Billies didn’t bomb away from the 3-point arc like they’ve done in the past. Instead, they decided to attack the basket using their height where their coaches believed they had an advantage.

After the first quarter, Fredericksburg led 16-7 and kept about a nine-point advantage at the half. That lead went to 16 by the end of the third stanza.

Still Marble Falls didn’t quit. The Mustangs trimmed the deficit to six with about 2 minutes in the game.

“We were right there battling,” Mustangs head coach Travis Crain said. “We missed some shots we got to have.”

Part of the reason they trimmed the deficit may have been the Mustangs’ press defense.

“We were able to get out and run,” the coach said. “We forced them into 27 turnovers. I’m curious to see how many were in the second half. We didn’t shoot it very well. We were able to attack and get down hill.”

Marble Falls also made 17 of 25 free throws, including 12 of 14 in the fourth period and 15 of 18 in the second half.

Crain noted the double whammy: free throws stop the clock and the Mustangs made their attempts.

Fredericksburg connected on 2 of 10 attempts from the 3-point line and was 14 of 18 from the lane. Marble Falls was 10 of 23 in the paint.

“They took advantage of us in the paint,” Crain said. “They’re big, and they used that to their advantage. Their length bothered us at times. It kept us off balance throughout the night. (Head coach) Buzz Williams at (Texas A&M) said this sort of thing helps prepare us for later. We’re 4-7. No one is pushing the panic button. This is about growth. We’re getting our opportunities to learn and grow so coming into district games, all the preparation is over with.”

Marble Falls travels to play in the San Antonio Independent School District Tournament Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 7-9. The Mustangs begin the 16-team bracket tournament against San Antonio Warren Dec. 7 at 5:30 p.m. at the Alamo Convocation Center, 110 Tuleta Drive in San Antonio. Marble Falls will play again at 9 a.m. Friday with opponent and site still to be determined.

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