Lady Mustangs’ loss to Vandegrift makes next game a must-win to make playoffs
MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls High School girls basketball team suffered a couple of setbacks Feb. 1 that might keep the Lady Mustangs out of the playoffs. The first was a 57-46 loss to Leander Vandegrift. The other was Cedar Park’s win against Leander Rouse 56-44.
That means both Marble Falls and Cedar Park are tied for fourth place — the final playoff spot — with one game remaining. The Lady Mustangs are at Cedar Park Vista Ridge, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 4A by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, while Vandegrift hosts Cedar Park on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.
The Lady Mustangs’ loss to Vandegrift was a combination of a perfect storm. After Marble Falls took a 6-0 lead in the first, the Lady Vipers responded by scoring four free throws and a 3-pointer. By the end of the period, the Lady Mustangs had committed six fouls and trailed 9-8, the lowest deficit of the game. They also missed three layups.
In the second quarter, the Lady Vipers were on their way to outscoring Marble Falls 16-6 thanks to layups off their full-court offense.
Though Marble Falls outscored Vandegrift 16-13 in the third, the Lady Vipers dropped in 19 points in the fourth quarter — all on free throws — with five Lady Mustangs, including four starters, fouling out. For the game, Vandegrift was 28-of-40 from the foul line, while Marble Falls was 10-of-16.
“We sure didn’t play like a playoff team,” Lady Mustangs head coach Chris Jost said. “We haven’t been shooting well for awhile. We had our two lowest free-throw attempts in games this week. We put ourselves in a hole with dumb fouls. We have smart defensive players, but, here lately, we can’t keep them on the floor.”
[tabs style=”default”] [tab title=”GAME STATS”]
TOP PLAYERS: Sarah Stripling 32 points (one short of matching career high), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals
ON OFFENSE: Points – Katy Bartels 6, Hayley Fishbeck 4, Blanca Fonseca 3, Reann Hall 1; Assists – Bartels 2, Kaitlyn Naumann 1, Blanca Fonseca 1; Rebounds – Naumann 1, Fonseca 1, Emily Klingsporn
ON DEFENSE: Steals – Bartels 3, R. Hall 1, T. Hall 1; Rebounds – Fishbeck 5, R. Hall 4, Teagan Hall 4, Hannah Wall 2, Bartels 2, Naumann 1
RECORDS: Marble Falls is 19-13 overall and 5-6 in District 25-4A.
UP NEXT: Marble Falls at Cedar Park Vista Ridge, 200 S. Vista Ridge Blvd. in Cedar Park, 7 p.m. Feb. 5
[/tab] [tab title=”DISTRICT STANDINGS”]
Cedar Park Vista Ridge, 11-0
Leander, 8-3
Leander Rouse, 6-6
Marble Falls, 5-6
Cedar Park, 5-6
Leander Vandegrift, 3-8
Dripping Springs, 1-10
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