Marble Falls boys basketball ready for the playoffs
CAPTION: Marble Falls senior forward Reed Lewis and the Mustangs return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team will play Waco La Vega at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, at Copperas Cove High School for a bi-district championship in the Class 4A Division I playoffs.
The Mustangs (16-13, 6-6 District 24-4A fourth place) are bracing to face the two-time District 23-4A champion that is ranked No. 19 in the Class 4A poll of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. Senior point guard Monta Hilliard joined the 1,500-point club in early February.
La Vega is a good rebounding team and averages almost as many steals as assists.
Look for the Pirates to take chances on getting steals and forcing turnovers in an effort to push the pace of the contest.
“They’re a solid team,” Mustangs head coach John Berkman said. “They’ve played well this year. They are athletic, and they’ve got a few guys that are pretty tall. But we feel like if we can contain that by playing defense and not let them get to the basket a lot and if we can rebound, we feel like we’ve got a good chance.”
The Pirates are averaging 62 points per game and won one game where they failed to score 50 points – against Lorena in a 46-38 victory Feb. 4. They had to come from behind to win to secure the district crown.
“They like to run,” Berkman said. “If they get the ball, they’re going to get it out and try to run, push it down the floor. So our goal is going to be to take care of the ball and transition defense is going to be huge for us.”
The Mustangs are used to playing a slower tempo and only pushing the pace when it benefits them. Marble Falls hasn’t allowed 80 points yet and only two opponents have scored in the 70s. The Mustangs lost both games.
“We have done a good job keeping it slow,” the coach said. “Most of the year, we’ve played in very few games where we’ve given the opponents a chance to get very high. I can’t think of anybody that’s gotten to the 80s, we’ve had some teams that have gotten 60s and 70s, but not often, not very many. So our defense has given us a chance in every game we’ve lost with the exception of a couple. That’s going to be the thing for us to give ourselves a chance to be competitive.”
