Marble Falls boys basketball beats Jarrell
CAPTION: Sophomore guard Cypress Neve’s scoring helps the Mustangs secure a win against Jarrell. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team defeated Jarrell 58-51 Feb. 4 to clinch a spot in the Class 4A Division I playoffs.
The Mustangs (6-4) are currently third in the District 24-4A standings.
Head coach John Berkman said he didn’t tell the Mustangs before the contest that if they won, they’re headed to the playoffs.
“I walked into the locker room and told them that win secured a playoff spot,” he said. “It took a couple of seconds for it to sink in. When it did, they were super excited. Only a few were in the playoffs a couple of years ago. It’s the first time for a majority of this group. It’s not something that’s guaranteed. They’ve at least made the playoffs.”
Two games remain in the regular season with one playoff spot at stake because Georgetown Gateway and Lampasas are tied for first in the standings. Each has one loss in district play and will meet in the regular season finale Tuesday, Feb. 11. The Badgers, who already beat the Gators in the first round, have a bye Friday, while Gateway is at Salado Friday, Feb. 7.
Salado (3-7) and Burnet (5-5) are fighting for that final playoff berth. And both visit Max Copeland Gym to take on the Mustangs. The Bulldogs are in Marble Falls at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, while the Eagles come to town Tuesday, Feb. 11.
With so much at stake for the opponents, Berkman said he and his players are preparing to get the very best from each visitor.
“Burnet is sitting on the edge,” he said. “Burnet has been playing well. Salado can fill it up. That’ll be a good last couple of games. We want to play well to finish the regular season to feel confident. The mental part is a crucial piece of the puzzle.”
Meanwhile, Jarrell (1-9) didn’t play like a squad that’s in last place in the standings. The Cougars took a 17-12 lead after the first period behind the hot shooting of senior Will Rolon, who scored 13 points in eight-minute quarter.
“He came out hot,” Berkman said. “We weren’t expecting him to be so aggressive.”
The Mustangs made the necessary defensive changes, alternating between their matchup zone and man-to-man defense to make it difficult to score. The result was a 29-27 Jarrell lead into the intermission. But the Mustangs flipped the script by earning a 42-40 advantage going into the final stanza.
“We were able to shut him down and keep him to nine more points after that,” Berkman said. “Our defensive effort really made it difficult on them. We were getting back to what we wanted to do.”
He credited senior forward Garen Jones for leading the defensive effort.
Offensively senior guard Tidus Willie led with 19 points followed by Jones with 10, junior center Cameron Plumlee added 9, sophomore guard Beckett Berkman contributed 7, sophomore forward Marc Barrios scored 4, and sophomore guard Cypress Neve, senior forward Noah Lyon and senior guard Isaiah Lazos each finished with 3.
This is the fourth consecutive year Berkman has guided a team to the playoffs and it’s his eighth of the last nine years.
“I’m proud of our guys,” he said. “They made it back in the playoffs.”
