Burnet boys basketball beats Marble Falls in statement win
CAPTION: High-flying Burnet senior Andre Miller and the Bulldogs arrived at Max Copeland Gym with an unblemished District 24-4A record and exited with it intact. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
The Burnet High School boys basketball team defeated Marble Falls 59-38 in the first matchup between the two teams this season.
“Credit to (Burnet head) coach (Roy) Kiser and his staff and kids,” Mustangs head coach Travis Crain said. “They had a terrific game plan and had those guys ready to play. They executed better, and they’re a really good ball club.”
The Bulldogs (4-0) came out firing. Senior Trey Petty hit a 3-pointer from the right corner that Marble Falls senior guard Kody Smith answered by nailing the same shot on the opposite end. Junior guard Tidus Willie gave Marble Falls a 5-3 lead and senior forward Davis Dreisbach completed a 3-point play on a Smith assist for an 8-3 advantage.
But that was the only Marble Falls lead.
Burnet seized control of the game on a 13-0 run that lasted 3 minutes and 7 seconds on buckets from senior guard Baylor Dawes, senior post Garner Krause and senior guard Andre Miller to build a 16-8 lead in the first quarter.
Marble Falls senior Jaime Castillo scored on a drive to the basket to end that run.
But Burnet responded with 9-0 run that lasted for just over 2 minutes for a 25-10 lead early in the second period.
And as impressive as the Bulldogs were offensively — running Kiser’s motion offense to perfection to create one-on-one matchups throughout the half court — they were better defensively.
That was apparent by the fact the Mustangs scored only five points during the second stanza. Davis completed a 3-point play and Smith scored a fast break bucket on a Willie steal and pass.
By halftime, Burnet built a 35-15 lead on baskets from senior guard Jacob Atkinson, junior Aidan Holcomb, Dawes, Miller and Petty.
At the intermission, the Mustangs looked to regroup, Crain said. But Burnet had other plans and outscored Marble Falls 16-12 in the third period for a 51-27 advantage.
“We also felt like we had a big run in us,” Crain said. “But it was neutralized. Credit to Burnet to make sure we didn’t do it.”
Miller led Burnet with 17 points followed by Dawes with 14, Krause added 13, Holcomb dropped in 8, and Atkinson finished with 3.
Kiser said the preparation for this game included reviewing the results of the 2022-23 season where Marble Falls swept the season series. The Mustangs won at home 51-31 and 49-48 in The Doghouse in the first round after the Bulldogs led 17-0 in the first quarter.
“We got up big, and they came back and beat us by one,” Kiser said. “We talked about that. I think our guys remembered what happened last year and didn’t want it to happen again.”
In this season’s game, the Bulldogs controlled so much of it, including the pace thanks to Dawes, who didn’t allow Marble Falls to have a say on how quick it went. He was meticulous in the execution, ensuring passes were to open teammates, and baskets came from high percentage shots. Burnet made nineteen 2-pointers and four 3-pointers. The outcome, Kiser said, is the result of scheme and being mentally tough.
“We knew that’s what we needed,” the coach said. “I’ve heard it said, ‘It doesn’t really matter what you do – it’s how you do it.’ You have to put your guys in a position to accentuate what they do best. Last year, we had two buzzer-beating losses to Jarrell. I show them the video and postgame celebrations. I want them to see it and feel it all over again. When you’re reminded of stuff like that, you want to resolve it.”
In addition, Kiser added, the Bulldogs made it a point to remove Smith and Willie from the Mustangs’ game plan, and they doubled down on the fundamentals of the sport. Smith scored 17 points, while Dreisbach finished with 14, Castillo added 4, and senior center Cooper Cochran had 2.
“We really rebounded the ball really well,” he said. “Our offensive possessions had a lot of purpose and meaning.”
“Burnet kept us down,” Crain said. “For every little run we started to make, they called a timeout and got settled and got a couple of stops and kept us back to where we started. They had an answer for every answer we had.”
Marble Falls travels to Jarrell Friday, Jan. 26, while Burnet is at Lampasas. The junior varsities play at 5 p.m., the freshmen at 6:30 p.m., and the varsities at 8 p.m.
Kiser said he plans to follow the same formula to prepare for the Badgers.
“I remind them every game about what happened last year,” he said. “(On Jan. 24), I’m going to (say), ‘Remember what it feels like.’ I want them to remember what it feels like.”
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