Burnet girls basketball defeats Marble Falls to sweep season series

CAPTION: Burnet senior forward Alexis Leatherwood takes the open shot against Marble Falls. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School girls basketball beat Marble Falls 61-34 Jan. 23 to begin the second round of District 24-4A play.

The Lady Dawgs (24-7, 7-0) began the contest on a 10-0 run on a drive and score and steal and score by senior athlete MaeSyn Gay and 3-pointers from junior point guard Sydney Lough and junior forward Sierra Schaefer.

“I thought we got off to a really good start and made adjustments to continue what we were doing,” Burnet head coach Rick Gates said. “The girls did a good job and playing through adversity when (we) got into foul trouble. Marble Falls tried to limit us inside, which left the guards with wide-open shots.”

Marble Falls senior center Lexie Edwards got the Lady Mustangs on the board thanks to a shot from the low block, but Gay and Schaefer responded with a lay-up and 3-pointer. Edwards added another bucket though Burnet led 15-4 at the end of the first period.

Edwards scored the first bucket of the second quarter and sophomore center Leslie Reynoso added a free throw to trim the deficit to 15-7. But Gay competed a 3-point play and added a free throw for a 19-7 lead. Though the two teams exchanged scores, Burnet took a 29-17 advantage into the break.

The two teams continued to match each other bucket for bucket at the beginning of the second half with Marble Falls leaning on Edwards and Reynoso. Junior forward Kylie Roberts drove to the hoop and then kicked out to Edwards, who nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and sophomore guard Rayleigh Crim scored a lay-up to trim the deficit to 35-26 with 45 seconds left in the period.

But Burnet answered with a 13-0 run thanks to scores from Lough, Schaefer and Gay. By the time Marble Falls ended the run, on a Roberts free throw, Burnet led 48-27 with 4:19 left in the contest. The Lady Dawgs outscored the Lady Mustangs 21-8 in the final stanza.

“We were in the game until the late third quarter, early fourth quarter,” Berkman said. “We had trouble getting over the top. Our run wasn’t enough because we got into a big hole. It’s hard to dig out of the those deep holes.”

Gates noted his players were fantastic and keeping their composures and sticking to what was working.

“Obviously it’s a big game, it’s a rivalry game,” he said. “The gym was packed. They felt all that adrenaline. I thought they handled themselves. I thought we did a good job of pressuring their guards and forcing turnovers.”

Gay led with 19 points followed by Schaefer with 17, junior center Cydney Robison added 8, Lough scored 7, sophomore guard Journey Denton and senior center Zaria Solis added 3 each, and senior forward Alexis Leatherwood and sophomore forward Wrigley Mulhollan finished with 2 apiece.

Berkman noted the Lady Mustangs followed the defensive strategy.

“We had a game plan and stuck to our game plan,” he said. “We kept Zaria to three points. We were forcing other players to make shots. And they did. They’re a good team. We were hoping to force someone to do something different. They had players step up and do things.”

Edwards led Marble Falls with 14 points, while Roberts scored 6, junior guard Kenadie Cotton added 5, Crim dropped in 4, Reynoso contributed 3, and junior forward Bethany Fry finished with 2.

Berkman said the emphasis was on doing the basics better, and he was pleased with that.

“We talk a lot about doing the simple things well,” he said. “We really did a good job of blocking out.”

As well as his team played, Gates and the Lady Dawgs believe they can be even better.

“We did a better job of limiting turnovers and finishing off baskets,” he said. “We had some easy shots around the basket that we didn’t make. I’m really proud of them because it felt balanced. Everyone gave great effort.”

Marble Falls travels to Jarrell Friday, Jan. 26, while Burnet is at Lampasas. The junior varsities play at 5 p.m., the varsities at 6:30 p.m. and the freshmen at 8 p.m.

Berkman noted his team finds itself in a familiar position. Last year’s squad lost two games in district play and still won two games of the Class 4A playoffs. Meanwhile, this year’s team won three consecutive district contests during the first round until this loss to the Lady Dawgs to begin the second round. Berkman believes his players can repeat that success.

“I feel good about where we’re at,” he said. “We’re still where we need to be. We feel like we’re still in good shape. We feel good about where we’re at.”

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