Marble Falls girls basketball’s tough defense leads to win

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior forward Kylie Roberts is at the top of the Lady Mustangs defense where her imposing frame makes it hard for Austin McCallum to run a play. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School girls basketball team defeated Austin McCallum 30-28 Nov. 5 in the Lady Mustangs’ home opener.

Tied at 28-28 with 1 minute and 28 seconds left, the Lady Mustangs (1-1) had to play defense to force the Lady Knights into a tough shot on the low block where Marble Falls had packed the lane.

The Lady Mustangs rebounded the miss and raced to the other end. Freshman forward Adalynn Wood caught the pass on the low block, turned and scored.

After trying to set up a half-court play and not being able to, McCallum called a timeout. But the Lady Knights still struggled against Marble Falls’ lockdown defense where the Lady Mustangs applied constant pressure that resulted in giving Adley Canales his first win as the Marble Falls coach.

“Our defense carried us today,” he said. “We gave up zero points in the first, nine in the second quarter, 11 in the third and eight in the fourth. That’s three single-digit quarters.”

Marble Falls led 6-0 after the first quarter, 10-9 at the half, and were losing 20-19 entering the fourth period.

Their philosophy is that if they force teams to score nine points or fewer in each quarter, Marble Falls has a chance at a victory, he added.

“It allowed us the opportunity to win the game,” the coach said.

Even when McCallum tried to create one-on-one opportunities by spreading out on the offensive side, the Lady Mustangs showed they trusted each other to each do their roles and helped when it was time.

By the same token, playing tough defense can also jumpstart the offense.

Canales said the Lady Mustangs look for transition baskets. But if the defense gets back, the Lady Mustangs are comfortable pushing the pace and being decisive on where to go with the ball. After no more than two passes, Wood got the ball and didn’t hesitate when she took the game-winning shot.

“We want to let our defense dictate our offense,” he said. “If we can get a lay-up, we’re never going to pass that up.”

But more than that, he commended his players for staying focused on the task at hand and closing out McCallum.

“We kept our composure,” the coach said. “Last Friday against Crockett, we lost a game like this.”

During the two days of practice leading to the contest, the players showed Canales they could learn from their errors, he said, adding he could see the improvement.

Junior forward Leslie Reynoso, in her first game back after finishing her commitment to volleyball, led with 11 points followed by Wood with 9, all in the final stanza, and junior Kenadie Cotton finished with 8.

Canales said McCallum focused heavily on senior forward Kylie Roberts. That gave her teammates offensive opportunities, which benefitted the squad.

As a team Marble Falls had 27 rebounds to McCallum’s 20. The Lady Mustangs had a field goal percentage of 43 to McCallum’s 29.

The coach also pointed out those who waited their turn to enter the contest watched with close eyes and shared what they saw with their teammates. And he liked the exchanging of information adding the players are sometimes more receptive to implement it if it comes from peers.

“They gave them pointers,” he said. “It helps when the bench is echoing it.”

The Marble Falls varsity welcomes Lago Vista at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. The subvarsities are competing at the McCallum tournament.