Stangs give Etheridge his first victory as Marble Falls coach

MARBLE FALLS — After losing their home opener, the Marble Falls High School boys basketball team dug in and earned their first win of the season Nov. 24.

Marble Falls beat Fredericksburg, 49-37, to give head coach Bruce Etheridge, in his first season as head coach of the Mustangs, his long awaited victory. 

“This is a game we can build on,” he said. “We want to win one on the road. Hopefully we can put together an effort similar to this.”

At the start, the Mustangs showed they were ready to play. Guard Regis Parks passed to an open Connor Docherty for a three-pointer. Bron Etheridge returned the favor when he passed to Parks for a three. 

David Morgan scored on a putback, Etheridge hit a free throw and Docherty stole the ball for a layup to lead, 11-6.

J’Vante Blanchard connected on a three-pointer from the right side, 14-9, though Fredericksburg added a jumper to trim the lead, 14-11.

The Billies converted a steal into points to cut it to a one-point game, prompting the Mustangs to take a timeout.

Etheridge grabbed an offensive rebound for a bucket and later scored two free throws, while Morgan recorded a block on the defensive side. 

Fredericksburg scored on a putback in the closing seconds to take a 19-18 lead.

Marble Falls was one of 10 from the field.

The Mustangs began the second half on a 10-2 run thanks to baskets from Morgan, Daniel Aulick, Mason Lyttle and Etheridge.

After a Fredericksburg bucket, Parks grabbed an offensive rebound and made a pass to Austin Bacon that only the forward could have caught and scored. Etheridge hit two free throws for a 33-23 lead at the end of the third period.

Both teams exchanged buckets during the final period.

But Marble Falls iced the contest by nailing free throws. Parks, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the final stanza, was six for six from the line. 

“Regis Parks really stepped up and hit huge free throws,” the coach said. “We had the guy on the line we wanted on the line. We were 10 of 12 (from the free-throw line as a team). That’s growing up. That’s cranberry sauce for the dressing.”

Etheridge dropped in 11 points including eight free throws. 

Defensively, the Mustangs made sure no Billie scored in double figures. 

What impressed the Mustangs skipper was his squad’s willingness not to double the post player and contain Fredericksburg with one-on-one defense.

“When you help out the post player, you give up the spot shooter, the three-point shooter,” he said. “We got in foul trouble and played poor defense on the post. But we played well enough to win the ball game. Our team defense did improve.”

The fouls were the result of hand checks and not moving using proper footwork, the coach said, but the players are still learning to play his style of man-to-man defense. And he can see the Mustangs’ growth.

One of the obstacles is keeping center Shane Minnick in the game. He picked up his third foul midway through the first half.

“I think the players got a little tentative, a little conservative,” Etheridge said. “I as a coach reeled them in. I got in my own players’ heads, which affected their abilities to hit outside shots. We have to get inside baskets off guard penetrations. That’s what were looking for.”

Bron Etheridge, the coach’s son, said he was excited to record his first win as a Mustang. The family moved to the Highland Lakes from Temple.

“It feels real good,” he said. “The team is real happy about the win. Our confidence is up right now. I’d say I did OK. I could have hit a couple of more shots. But a win is a win.”  

Photo by Virgil Belk/Hill Country Sports Images