Marble Falls boys basketball resets lineup for tourney

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior forward Reed Lewis ensures there’s not a lane to the basket. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team finished its HTeaO Classic with a 2-3 record Dec. 12-14.

The Mustangs now turn their attention to a road trip to Austin Travis at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17.

During the tournament the Mustangs defeated Socorro 60-43 and Sweeny 56-40 and lost to Austin Crockett 35-34, Somerset 72-23 and Austin McCallum 74-34.

The loss to Crockett illustrated the ups and downs Marble Falls faced.

The Cougars hit a 3-pointer at the horn to tie the game at 17-17 at the half and began the third quarter on an 8-3 run for a 25-20 lead.

But with the contest still in doubt, sophomore guard Beckett Berkman hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie it at 31-31.

With under a minute left, the Mustangs looked to force steals and capitalize quickly. Senior Jackson Trudeau recorded a steal and scored on a putback. Another steal went to senior center Noah Lyon, who assisted Berkman on a basket.

Berkman rebounded his own miss and passed to Lyon, who was fouled with 15 seconds left. He made one free throw to bring the game to 35-34.

With six tenths of a second remaining, Lyon rebounded a miss on a free shot and threw it the length of the court. The ball was on target but just short.

Head coach John Berkman summed up his thoughts on the contest.

“We just didn’t play in sync as a team,” he said. “I thought we rushed ourselves, missed shots and had too many turnovers. We sped up a little bit and rushed things. We got in a hurry.”

Somerset is ranked No. 12 in the latest Class 4A University Interscholastic League poll of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, while McCallum has the best non-district record in its District 24-5A.

The Mustangs also had to contend with lineup changes based on player availability. The coach saw that as an opportunity — to mix in personnel, to ask different athletes to play positions they may not spend a lot of time playing, and to work on court chemistry.

“Our legs were worn down,” he said. “Playing in this tournament, we had kids trying to find their role. I think that’s one of the best things about tournaments. You get opportunities to get lots of kids in and see where they fit in with our offense and defense.”

It doesn’t get easier. Marble Falls will take the short trip north to play Burnet at The Doghouse Friday, Dec. 20. The subvarsities take the court at 5 p.m. with the varsity at 6:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs (9-8), who are the defending District 24-4A champions, beat Brownwood 61-45 Dec. 16.

“We feel good about where we’re at,” the coach said. “We’re further along than I expected to be.”

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior guard Jackson Trudeau (3) and junior center Cameron Plumlee guard the lane. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro