Burnet girls basketball beats Marble Falls in district opener

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior forward Kylie Roberts (21) nails a 3-pointer from the top of the key against Burnet. Photos by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School girls basketball team defeated Marble Falls 60-34 Jan. 3 in the District 24-4A opener for both programs.

“I think we played solid for four quarters,” Lady Dawgs head coach Doug Messer said. “In all three phases of the game.”

The Lady Dawgs led 15-13 after the first quarter thanks to hitting three 3-pointers paced by senior forward Sierra Schaefer and senior guard Sydney Lough.

The Lady Mustangs had buckets from junior center Leslie Reynoso, junior shooting guard Rayleigh Crim, junior guard Lila Pangborn and senior forward Kylie Roberts, who dropped in a 3-pointer.

But Burnet slowly began to separate in the second period by pushing the pace of the game and dribbling through Marble Falls’ full-court defense for high-percentage shots. Lough scored 5 of her game-high 17 points in the second period after dropping in 7 in the opening stanza.

Messer said Lough “is crucial” to his team’s success.

“She’s our quarterback,” he said. “If your quarterback isn’t in sync, it makes everything not be in sync. This group plays together well.”

Schaefer added another 3-pointer, while junior guard Journey Denton scored 5. The result was a 36-23 lead at the intermission.

The Lady Dawgs kept building the advantage throughout the second half. With about 3 minutes left to play, Messer took the starters out.

Senior center Cydney Robison scored 6 of the Lady Dawgs’ 9 points in the fourth quarter.

Schafer and Robison each had 12 followed by Denton with 5, freshman forward Emma Hashbanger and senior forward Aubrey Mathews had 4 apiece, and junior guard Peyton Allen and junior forward Wrigley Mulhollan each scored 3.

“We got into foul trouble, but we had others step in to play,” Messer said. “Mulhollan played (our center). She’s only done that two or three times all year. I think we stepped in and filled voids.”

Roberts led Marble Falls with 11 followed by Pangborn with 6, Reynoso added 5, senior guard Caity Johnson scored 4, Crim and Virdell each dropped in 3, and Wood finished with 2.

One obstacle the Lady Mustangs faced was changing the lineup because of foul trouble. Head coach Adley Canales noted more experienced upperclassmen sat, while underclassmen, most of whom were playing in their first varsity district game, were adjusting to the speed, strength and aggression.

“We got to put them on the bench over girls who have never been in that situation before,” he said. “We’re asking a lot of them now, for sure. For them to grow, … you only learn if you’re in those situations. Growing pains are expected when you extremely young. Girls who haven’t been in there are having to learn as we go.”

Burnet hosts Salado Tuesday, Jan. 7, in a doubleheader. The girls varsity plays at 6:15, while the boys varsity follows.

“We have a good squad,” Messer said. “I think we’re going to be there (for the district title). It’s our standard. We’ll play every game like it’s our last. We’ll have to fight for everything we do.”

Marble Falls welcomes Lampasas Tuesday, Jan. 7, in a doubleheader. The girls varsity plays at 6:30 p.m. with the boys varsity to follow.

While this game didn’t go the way Marble Falls wanted, Canales noted there’s still plenty of basketball left to play.

“Everything we want is still in front of us,” he said. “We still have the other teams. In our district, I feel like everybody’s gonna lose at some point. We just have to focus on winning the games we’re supposed to.” 

CAPTION: Getting high-percentage baskets required players to be unafraid to take the pounding that comes with that territory of the court as illustrated by Marble Falls junior forward Leslie Reynoso (24) and sophomore Kinley Virdell (24) and Burnet junior guard Peyton Allen (4). Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography