Marble Falls boys basketball outlasts Fredericksburg
CAPTION: Marble Falls sophomore guard Beckett Berkman (left) and senior Garen Jones let their defense dictate their offense against Fredericksburg. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team beat Fredericksburg 41-33 Dec. 3.
The Mustangs (5-1) closed out the Billies in the final two minutes where they didn’t allow a bucket.
“Defense is what’s going to carry us,” head coach John Berkman said. “That’s what I told them after the game. Sometimes you can’t shoot it well. Shooting comes and goes, but defense and rebounding always is going to be there, because that’s an effort. So that’s that’s what we try to hang our hat on, and that’s what carried us in this game because we weren’t shoot it particularly well.”
Fredericksburg led 11-8 after the first period and 17-16 at the half. But Marble Falls came back to take a 23-22 advantage in the third quarter thanks to shots from seniors Garen Jones and Tidus Willie.
Marble Falls outscored the Billies 18-11 in the fourth quarter.
What made a big difference is that Marble Falls sank 9 of 12 free throws in the final eight minutes. Sophomore guard Beckett Berkman, senior center Noah Lyon, Jones and Wille each made free throws. Overall, the Mustangs were 11 of 18 from the line.
“That’s a big deal,” the coach said. “It’s a big deal when you can make free throws down the stretch when they’re in the lead and they’ve got to foul, you hold onto it, so it’s a big deal.”
Beckett Berkman led the Mustangs with 14 points, including 11 in the final stanza, followed by Jones with 12, Willie with 11 and senior Isaiah Lazos had 3.
“I like that we stuck with it even when we weren’t able to make baskets,” John Berkman said. “We got to the rim, we missed, we got open 3-pointers and guys driving to the bucket and miss, and we just stuck with it and stuck with it and stuck with it. And so that’s probably the biggest deal is that we stick with what you’re trying to do, even when you can’t make the baskets, it pays off. It has allowed us to get what we want late in the game, which is touches in the paint and fouls, and it was good.
Marble Falls is competing in the San Antonio ISD tournament Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 5-7. The Mustangs face Eagle Pass Winn in their first bracket game at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at San Antonio Burbank High School. They return to the court at 10:30 a.m. Friday to face either Marshall or Burbank depending on the outcome of the Winn contest.
CAPTION: Marble Falls senior guard Tidus Willie helped limit Fredericksburg in points and contributed on both ends for the Mustangs. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
