Final play seals Marble Falls boys basketball’s win against Lake Belton

CAPTION: The Marble Falls Mustangs celebrate senior guard Tidus Willie (21) scoring his 1,000th point as a member of the program. Courtesy photo

The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team beat Lake Belton in dramatic fashion Nov. 26 before enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday.

With six seconds left and the score tied at 54-54, the Mustangs called a timeout.

Senior forward Noah Lyon inbounded the ball to senior forward Garen Jones, who was immediately double-teamed. But Lyon never stopped running when he stepped back on the court.

Jones threw him a pass, and Lyon did the rest to give the Mustangs a 56-54 victory.

“We had to go the length of the floor,” head coach John Berkman said. “Noah scored a lay-up as time ran out. Getting to the paint is what we were hoping. We got a lay-up and what we wanted.”

The Mustangs (4-1), who are on a four-game winning streak, led 18-16 after the first quarter, 29-23 at the half, and 43-32 at the end of the third period.

But the Broncos (3-1), whose three-game winning streak was snapped, made a furious run in the final stanza.

“They started a barrage of shots in the fourth quarter,” Berkman said. “I didn’t think we were in bad defensive position. They had all the momentum. They hit two big 3-pointers, and we were in their faces. Those guys made great shots.”

This win symbolized two important traits of the program, the coach said.

The first is the desire to compete.

“There’s a difference between playing hard and competing,” Berkman said. “Playing hard is running up and down the floor; competing is running up and down the floor and making sure your team gets the ball. Playing hard is diving on the floor for the ball; competing is diving on the floor and ensuring your team gets the ball.”

The second is effort, which Lyon illustrated by running the floor and put himself in position to make the basket.

“On good teams, you don’t coach effort,”Berkman said. “When (players) step on the floor, they’re going 100 percent.”

Jones led the team with 13 points.

“He had an amazing game,” Berkman said. “He was great on the boards for us and facilitating the ball. He was pretty incredible.”

Senior guard Tidus Willie scored 11 points, and the program celebrated his entry into the 1,000 points club with a commerative ball.

“I think it’s a testament to his commitment to constantly getting better, to consistently working his craft,” Berkman said. “He stays the course and stays the path.”

Sophomore guard Beckett Berkman added 10 points, junior center Cameron Plumlee had 7 in the first quarter, senior point guard Isaiah Lazos scored 6, Lyon had 5 “and was great on the boards,” sophomore forward Marc Barrios and senior point guard Roman Brown each added 2.

“It was a great team effort and team win,” the coach said. “We had a lot of guys doing great things. We have a lot of guys getting to that point.”

The program will honor Willie before the Tuesday, Dec. 3 home contest against Fredericksburg.