Enjoying the home court

MARBLE FALLS — To welcome the Marble Falls High School boys basketball team back from the Thanksgiving holiday, head coach Bruce Etheridge scheduled Austin Crockett for an 8 p.m. tipoff today.

The game will be played at Max Copeland Gym, 2101 Mustang Drive.

“They’re a formidable opponent,” Etheridge said.

The two teams have Round Rock Westwood in common, which defeated both. Marble Falls lost, 94-68, and Crockett lost, 72-68.

“Westwood handled us pretty easily,” the Mustangs skipper said. “When you measure your opponents, their program seems to be a little better than we are sometimes.”

Etheridge said he expects Crockett to use a half-court 1-2-2 defense, which will mean the Mustangs may not face a full-court press at first.

“It’s probably going to be a lot more to our liking,” he said. “I expect us to play them well.”

This game marks the first of six home contests for Marble Falls.

The Mustangs will open their McDonald’s Classic Thursday at 8 p.m. against Austin Lanier.

They follow that with a doubleheader Friday: 12:30 p.m. against Fredericksburg and 6:30 p.m. against St. Michael’s. 

These games are in pool play and will determine when the Mustangs play Saturday.

They finish their home stretch by welcoming Wimberley Dec. 9.

“I want us to gel, to come together and to play better,” Etheridge said. “We’re looking at the schedule and winning at least four of six games.”

But he acknowledged it won’t be easy because of the kind of teams the Mustangs are playing, especially in the tournament this weekend.

Most of the squads are .500 or better, he said.

The coach spent at least part of his holiday examining his roster, watching film and developing schemes to help his players be more productive during games.

“We’re trying to simplify and shore up some weaknesses,” he said. “There are ways we can do that.”  

He looks forward to seeing his athletes execute those games against opponents instead of playing each other in practice.

“There’s nothing like playing games,” he said. “When you play, you gain experience. It’s hard to implement a lot of things on the fly.”

The Mustangs had a light workout Nov. 29. 

Etheridge said some of his players were out of town for the holidays and did not attend. 

He believes stances and quicker paces will also help his squad.

“We have to get down a little bit and play faster than we’re accustomed to,” he said. “We’re taking what the defense gives you. We’ll simplify things and make things easy to read.”

Photo by Jennifer Fierro