Burnet boys basketball squeaks past Marble Falls
Burnet High School guard Colton Stevens (right) tries to get past Marble Falls senior forward Zuri Buchanan on Dec. 3. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — The Burnet High School boys basketball defeated Marble Falls 48-47 on Dec. 3 for its first win of the season.
The win came down to the Bulldogs (1-3) hitting 4 of 5 free throws in the final 25 seconds and the Mustangs (2-3) being unable to hit a long jumper at the horn.
“We had our first look, it wasn’t there,” Mustangs head coach Neil Laminack said. “We had a chance to win it. We can’t ask for anything more than that. It never comes down to one play. We could point to a turnover and a free throw in the first quarter.”
“It’s early (in the season),” Burnet head coach Roy Kiser said. “It’s fun to beat your rival, but it’s early. What’s good is to beat them by one point. They’ve beaten us the last two years by one point.”
Senior forward Joe Parker hit the winning foul shot with six seconds left. Burnet guard Colton Stevens led the game with 19 points, none bigger than the three free throws he made with 25 seconds left to tie the contest.
“When you get a guy, and you feel like he can score inside and out and get on the line to make free throws, you get behind a guy like that,” Kiser said. “He did everything we asked him to do.”
Kiser was equally pleased with his team’s defense that kept the Mustangs from scoring in the final four minutes 44 seconds of the contest.
“That’s the kind of stuff I look for,” he said. “We can use that with our younger kids to show them we push ourselves.”
The Mustangs led 10-6 after the first period after a 6-0 run in the final 3:19 and 26-15 at halftime because of an 8-1 run in the final 2:11.
But the Bulldogs outscored them 19-12 in the third quarter, though Marble Falls led 38-34 heading into the final period.
“I thought we started playing a little too cautious instead of relaxing and doing everything we’d been doing in the first half,” Laminack said. “I told our kids at half that they’re going to get theirs. We have to weather it.”
He said his message to the team after the game is one he believes will help his players the rest of the season.
“Let’s learn from this,” he said. “We will be in a similar situation almost every game.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com
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TOP PLAYERS: Marble Falls – Danny Rivara 19 points; Burnet – Colton Stevens 19 points
ON OFFENSE: Marble Falls — points: Stripling 7, Walker 6, Parnell 6, Wooten 2, Petrosky 2, Wright 1, Seelig 1; Burnet – points: Townes 8, Kiser 7, Baumgart 6, Bullock 5, Parker 2, D. Johnson 1
RECORDS: Marble Falls is 2-3; Burnet is 1-3.
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Marble Falls vs. San Antonio Alamo Heights at noon and Houston Kingwood Park at 6 p.m. Dec. 5 at Max Copeland Gym, 2101 Mustang Drive in Marble Falls. Burnet at China Spring, 7301 N. River Crossing in China Spring, 6 p.m. Dec. 6
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