Marble Falls boys basketball beats Salado
CAPTION: Marble Falls junior point guard Tidus Willie finds various ways to contribute to the scoring in defeating Salado. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team defeated Salado 57-55 Dec. 19.
Though the game was close throughout, it rarely felt like the Mustangs weren’t going to win.
“We felt like we’d always get a big play and they would answer,” head coach Travis Crain said. “We could never totally pull away from them. Credit to their coaching staff. I’m proud of our guys. We were able to deal with the distractions of senior night.”
Marble Falls led the Eagles 8-7 thanks to a shot in the lane by junior Garen Jones to end the first period.
Marble Falls began the second quarter on a 7-2 run that would be invaluable the rest of the way for a 15-9 advantage with 2 minutes and 17 seconds left in the half. Marble Falls took a 20-15 lead into the half.
Both squads turned up their offenses in the second half. Junior point guard Tidus Willie found junior forward Noah Lyon for the first bucket of the third quarter. But Salado answered with a 7-0 run highlighted by the Eagles picking up a loose ball on a bad Marble Falls pass and needing three shots on the ensuing possession to score.
That compelled Crain to call a timeout. The Mustangs responded with back-to-back layups from Willie and Jones for a 28-22 advantage midway through the third stanza. Jones scored the final basket of the quarter for the Mustangs on a 3-pointer the Eagles answered on the other end right before the horn sounded. Marble Falls led 38-35.
The two continued to match each other bucket for bucket, but a breakaway dunk from Jones brought the Mustang fans to their feet. Willie made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 36 seconds to ice the game. Salado outscored Marble Falls 40-37 in the second half.
Salado had 39 rebounds, 12 assists, 11 steals and 3 blocks. Marble Falls had 25 rebounds, 17 assists, 16 steals and a block. The Mustangs shot a 46 percent field goal percentage to the Eagles’ 36 percentage.
Willie led with 20 points followed by Jones and senior guard Kody Smith with 13 each.
Crain noted that junior point guard Roman Brown’s bucket in the second quarter “was a 3-pointer we needed. It was a big 3-pointer we needed at the right time.”
“The same with (senior) Cooper Cochran,” he added. “He had two free throws when we needed them.”
He commended his players for getting stops and making plays in crucial moments.
“I thought our defense was fantastic,” he said. “In the first half, we were running our offense and getting good looks. We missed three or four at the rim. Once we settled in, we were able to take advantage a little more.”
The Mustangs will enjoy the Christmas holiday and return for the Wimberley Tournament Dec. 28-30.
“It’s always better going into the break feeling better about everything,” Crain said of the Salado win. “It takes a little pressure off everybody.”
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