Lady Stangs’ basketball season comes to a close
AUSTIN — A Marble Falls High School late-game surge wasn’t enough to overcome a Vista Ridge lead as the Lady Stangs fell, 36-23, in the third round of the playoffs.
"I’m very proud of this group of ladies," said Marble Falls coach Stephanie Gamble after the game at Westlake High School. "If you look at our team and our roster, there’s no way we should be in the third round of the playoffs. But these girls, they’ve hung in there and persevered through some tough spots in the season." The first half of the game found both teams establishing tough defenses. At half time, Vista Ridge led 12-9.
"In the first half, both teams played tremendous defense," said Vista Ridge coach Mike Martin. "I thought they pushed us out a little further than we wanted to be. We just weren’t getting good shots."
The Lady Stangs defense found itself challenged under the basket by the Lady Rangers’ 6-foot-2-inch Chinwe Duru. But despite her size advantage, Duru struggled during the first half from Marble Falls’ Kiara Etheridge’s and Haley Stephens’ attack.
The Lady Stangs defense held Duru to two points in the first half.
"We knew that after playing (Marble Falls) twice in the district already, that coach Gamble would have them ready," Martin said. "And they were."
At the start of the second half, Vista Ridge went on an 8-0 run building a 20-9 lead. The Lady Rangers hit 14 points in the third to Marble Falls’ four. It was a distance the Lady Stangs couldn’t make up.
"In the start of the second half, we came out and found the shots we needed and started getting the right angles," Martin said.
Gamble said while Vista Ridge was finding the bucket, the Lady Stangs struggled.
"We just weren’t getting the shots we needed," she said. "I think we shot about 20 percent from the floor. When you do that, things aren’t going to go your way."
Etheridge led the Lady Stangs with nine points followed by Sarah Stripling with eight.
Though the season came to an end one game shy of the regional
tournament, Gamble said in many ways it was a success for the youth-laden squad.
"These girls have hung in there all year," she said. "We struggled some in the beginning of the season, but we started playing some really good basketball."
It was something Martin noticed from the first time the two squads met earlier in the regular season.
"These girls (from Marble Falls) have come a long ways this year," he said. "They have grown and matured into a really good basketball game. They are definitely a team people are going to have to look out for in the future."
Gamble said the Lady Stangs showed tenacity during the year and right down to the final game.
"They battle," she said. "They have no quit in them."
daniel@thepicayune.com