Marble Falls girls basketball shows consistency
CAPTION: Marble Falls sophomore center Leslie Reynosa and the other forwards and centers are doing their part to help the Lady Mustangs score, rebound and block shots. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School girls basketball team lost to Brownwood 46-44 Jan. 2 after posting a 2-2 record at the Boerne holiday tournament Dec. 27-28.
The Lady Mustangs beat Floresville 56-51 and Boerne Champion 42-35 and lost to Katy Taylor 59-26 and Kerrville Tivy 52-26.
Marble Falls led Brownwood 13-8 after the first period, 22-18 at the intermission and 33-31 going into the final quarter.
“Brownwood made plays in the end, and we didn’t,” head coach John Berkman said. “Things got tight, and you’re not sure what plays to make. We had a couple of opportunities.”
The Lady Lions had 25 rebounds, 10 assists, 21 steals and block and shot 53 percent free throw line. The Lady Mustangs had 37 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and 7 blocks and shot 63 percent from the foul line.
Senior center Lexie Edwards dropped in 26 points, knocking down 10 of 14 field goals, and had 8 rebounds, 5 blocks and a steal. Junior forward Bethany Fry added 8 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists, while junior guard guard Kenadie Cotton and junior forward Kylie Roberts each scored 4 points.
The win against Floresville was especially satisfying, Berkman said, because the Lady Mustangs built a 28-24 lead at the half that went to 47-32 after three periods. Floresville outscored Marble Falls 19-9 in the final stanza.
“We played well,” he said. “We had a lull when we let them have control. We played well and finished the game.”
Edwards scored 18 points and had 13 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks followed by Fry with 17 points, 7 rebounds and a steal, and Roberts added 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. Junior Nashla Crott made both of her 3-pointers.
Taylor (22-3, 6-1 District 19-6A) led 17-8 after the first period and 28-10 at the half.
“They’re a big school with a lot of athletes,” Berkman said. “They made plays with their athleticism. Our players played hard the whole time. They didn’t quit, which is a good sign.”
Edwards led Marble Falls with 8 points and 7 followed by Fry and junior guard Kendie Cotton with 6 points apiece. Fry also had 9 rebounds.
Berkman said his squad was challenged against Tivy from the beginning.
“We had a poor start to the game,” he said. “The first half was atrocious. We were down 40-6 at the half. We took six shot attempts. We had a hard talk at halftime, and we won the second half 20-12. Our girls showed some grit and did some things better.”
Marble Falls and Champion matched each other point for point in the first quarter with the Lady Chargers leading 10-9. The Lady Mustangs put up 10 in the second period for a 19-16 advantage at the intermission. Champion, however, came out in the third quarter and outscored Marble Falls 19-9 for a 35-28 lead.
The Lady Mustangs responded by scoring 14 points and not allowing the Lady Chargers to score at all.
“I call it a mature win,” the coach said. “Our girls were able to stick with it. We’re starting to show growth and maturity. We can stick with and understand the things that are happening. We went 2-2 and showed some good things.”
Fry paced Marble Falls with 15 points, while Roberts added 11, Edwards dropped in 8, and sophomore center Leslie Reynosa scored 7. Edwards and Fry each had 7 rebounds, while Roberts had 5 and Reynosa had 3.
“We had somebody different leading us in scoring in different games,” Berkman said. “Bethany is starting to find her scoring rhythm. Several of the girls are playing well.”
He commended the forwards and centers for their play, pointing out they are getting the job done on scoring, rebounding and shot blocking.
“They’re doing their jobs and giving the effort we need,” he said.
The coach noted that Marble Falls brought its solid second-half performance against Tivy into the entire Champion contest, showing six quarters of consistent play.
The other part of the education is learning how to close out an opponent. The Lady Mustangs showed that against Champion, not so much against Brownwood.
“Some of that is making plays down the stretch,” Berkman said. “You can’t learn it until you do it. It’s a different feeling when you get into those games.”
Marble Falls travels to Burnet Friday, Jan. 5, for the District 24-4A opener. The subvarsities play at 5 p.m. and the varsity follows at 6:30 p.m..
“This is where it starts,” Berkman said. “This is the time of year you have to win. We want to make sure we’re locked in. We want to get in the playoffs.”
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