Lady Stangs finish third in tourney

MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls High School girls basketball team finished third in its own American Bank of Texas Tournament Nov. 20-22.

After winning their first two contests, Marble Falls went 1-1 in games played Nov. 22.

The Lady Mustangs lost to Cedar Park, 61-47, but beat Plainview, 42-34.

“I was glad to get a win,” head coach Stephanie Gamble said. 

After Plainview took a 4-0 lead, Katy Cooke hit Katie Mosher underneath. Diana Fonseca passed to Mosher for a three-pointer, 5-4. Mosher drove to the basket and dumped to Lindsay Ansley to tie the game at 7.

Fonseca stole the ball and threw a half-court pass to Mosher for the layup, and Amanda Gray completed a three-point play, 12-7.

Fonseca dribbled through the press and passed to Ansley for a bucket underneath to begin the second quarter.

Cooke drove and passed to Ansley for jumper, 16-10.

Mosher completed a fast break thanks to a Fonseca pass, while Cooke added two free throws. Mosher scored on two jumpers from the right corner.

Ansley found Erica Dela Hoya for a layup. Fonseca ended the quarter by hitting a free throw for a 25-18 lead.

After Plainview cut the lead to 25-23, Fonseca scored on a putback, 27-23.

Ansley regained the lead for Marble Falls on a shot from the free throw line, 29-28, and then scored again on a rebound and layup. She passed to Fonseca on a backdoor cut for a 33-30 lead with 24 seconds left.

Marble Falls stiffened defensively and did not allow the Lady Bulldogs to attempt a shot as the buzzer sounded. 

The Lady Mustangs outscored Plainview, 9-4, thanks to free throws from Ansley and Kyli Bird. Kimi Hicks scored on a jumper from the right side. Cooke scored on a drive, while Ansley had an offensive rebound for a bucket.

Gamble said her players valued their possessions better.

“I thought we took care of the ball a lot better,” she said. “The settled in and played man-to-man defense against people similar to us. I thought our kids did a good job.”

Ansley led the Mustangs with 14 points. Mosher scored all of her 13 points in the first half, while Fonseca finished with five. 

Fonseca, who has made a reputation as a defensive stopper, credited Gamble and Cooke for the way she plays.

“The way she coaches me,” she said. “Katy Cooke helps me out a lot. We know that’s my role on this team.”

That’s because Cooke directs her on where to go, Fonseca said.

During the summer, she and Gray worked with a trainer to help improve their footwork and to get faster.

That has helped her recover defensively, she said.

“Defense is the priority,” she said.

The Lady Mustangs and Cedar Park went back and forth throughout the first quarter.

Cooke started with a three-pointer, though Cedar Park answered with a shot on the low block.

Neither team scored for almost three minutes. But Marble Falls got scores from Mosher, Cooke and Dela Hoya.

Cooke ended the period with a layup with the Lady Mustangs down, 11-10.

But the Timberwolves scored 20 points in the second period compared to only one field goal —  a Mosher three-pointer — and five free throws, four from Ansley.

Cedar Park went on a 12-3 run that lasted 4:42. Ansley broke it on back-to-back trips to the free-throw line.

Marble Falls fought back in the third quarter, but the Timberwolves did not back down.

The Lady Mustangs outscored Cedar Park, 13-11, but the Timberwolves still led, 42-31, at the end.

Cooke began the scoring in the second half with a three-point play and a free throw. Dela Hoya and Cooke each added free throws.

Cooke scored on a drive and Ansley rebounded her own miss.

Cedar Park outscored Marble Falls, 19-16, in the final quarter for the win.

The Timberwolves hit seven three-pointers in the contest.

Gamble said Cedar Park has several elements that make it a solid team.

“Cedar Park did a great job,” she said. “They have a lot of depth.”

The coach said the Timberwolves were able to score virtually at will because of the shooters they have in each position. She thought her players were in the right spots, but Cedar Park simply had an answer for the defense.

And she noted her own players in the lane did not perform the way they are needed to.

“I don’t feel like our post players played well,” she said. “We didn’t do a very good job of taking care of the ball.”

Cooke scored 26 points, while Mosher added eight and Ansley had seven. DelaHoya finished with five. 

The coach said her athletes played well to end the tournament. 

“I’m very pleased with the way we finished,” Gamble said. “As a group, everybody stepped it up.”

The Lady Mustangs will travel to play San Antonio Stevens Wednesday at 1 p.m. before starting their Thanksgiving holiday. 

They will go to Austin McCallum Dec. 2 for an 8 p.m. tipoff.  

jfierro@thepicayune.com

Photo by Virgil Belk/Hill Country Sports Images