Lady Mustangs get tough win at Burnet
BURNET — In a battle of Region IV girls basketball powerhouses, the Marble Falls High School basketball team beat Burnet 48-39 Dec. 6, winning at The Doghouse, one of the toughest gyms to earn a victory.
"We played well," Lady Mustangs coach Stephanie Gamble said. "We started off the game doing a good job of controlling the pace. We did a good job on defense and disrupting what they want to do."
The Lady Mustangs (9-6) raced to a 16-9 lead in the first quarter with baskets from junior post Kiara Etheridge, sophomore guard Sarah Stripling and junior guard Katy Bartels.
Still, Burnet senior guards Kati Maldonado and Leah Cotton wouldn’t let their team falter.
PHOTO 1: Burnet High School senior guard Kati Maldonado is sandwiched between Marble Falls High School sophomore guard Sarah Stripling (left) and junior post Kiara Etheridge during the Lady Mustangs’ win. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
After Marble Falls took a 20-9 lead, Cotton scored on a drive to the basket and Maldonado hit an open 3-pointer to trim the deficit to 20-16. The Lady Mustangs, however, ended the half on a 12-5 run, which could have been worse. But officials waved off an Etheridge shot at the horn that went in, saying the ball didn’t leave her hand in time.
The pace was slow in the second half, and the play wasn’t as sharp. Marble Falls limited Burnet’s (5-5) second-chance points and the Lady Dawgs’ lethal fastbreaks.
The Lady Mustangs worked on their half-court offense and looked to tire the Lady Dawgs by holding possession for more than a minute at a time.
