Marble Falls boys basketball loses to Jarrell
CAPTION: Marble Falls senior point guard Isaiah Lazos and the Mustangs are within striking distance of winning District 24-4A play. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team lost to Jarrell 44-40 Jan. 17 to end the first round of District 24-4A play.
The Mustangs trailed from the start. The Cougars led 6-8 after the first period, 16-14 at the half and 26-23 after three quarters.
“We took the lead 31-28 midway through the fourth,” head coach John Berkman said. “We struggled to score. We didn’t get to the free throw line, we shot poorly. We have to be able to finish things.”
Jarrell controlled many parts of the contest that allowed the Cougars to control the scoreboard.
“I felt like Jarrell was able to play the pace they wanted,” Berkman said. “It kept us at bay.”
Jarrell was 11 for 15 from the foul line for the contest. But the Cougars attempted 12 of their 15 foul shots in the final period when the Mustangs fouled to preserve time.
Berkman noted the Mustangs “got a lot of shots” but couldn’t find the bottom of the net. Senior guard Tidus Willie led with 23 points.
“We had to have more guys,” the coach said. “We got high-percentage shots we didn’t finish. That hurts when you don’t finish. Lately we’ve been able to score, we’ve been able to score a lot of points.
The loss puts Marble Falls (14-9, 4-2) third in the standings and gives the Cougars (7-15, 1-5) their first victory in the league. Burnet County athletic departments have said playing in Jarrell is tough, but Berkman wasn’t using that as a reason for the outcome.
“We know that going in,” he said. “I felt like our defense played well. We held them to single-digit quarters. They scored more in the fourth. We have to be better prepared. Jarrell played for their season. Ultimately, we didn’t do our jobs.”
Marble Falls is on a bye Tuesday, Jan. 21, and is at Lampasas Friday, Jan. 24, with the junior varsity playing at 5 p.m., the freshmen at 6:30 p.m. and the varsity at 8 p.m.
