Lady Flames come up short in regional final against Texas School for the Deaf
STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO
SAN MARCOS — There wasn’t one particular reason why the Faith Academy of Marble Falls girls basketball team’s season ended in a 36-31 loss to the Texas School for the Deaf in a regional final Feb. 24.
However, when he reflected on the outcome, Lady Flames interim head coach Randy Denton said a combination of events contributed to outcome, including:
• missing 11 free throws;
• missing high-percentage field goals;
• having to go at a slower pace than what the Lady Flames were used to;
• playing against a zone defense designed to limit Faith’s outside shooting;
• and only one player in double figures.
“We had opportunities, we just didn’t make shots,” Denton said.
Despite those factors, the Lady Flames (29-7) had a chance to bring the deficit to within a point on a layup with about 30 seconds remaining in the game. The shot was missed.
The game began with each team matching each other bucket for bucket, but TSD (28-8) took a five-point lead at halftime. That advantage went to 10 headed into the final quarter.
“We got within two, but we never got any closer,” Denton said. “We didn’t play well early, and we got in a hole.”
The coach credited TSD for its game plan, especially in limiting junior guards Paris Brinkley and Hattie Blair, Faith’s two consistent outside shooters.
Brinkley finished with 14 points, while senior Hannah Marks had eight.
Denton, who was named interim girls head basketball coach last April, could find out in the next few weeks if Faith administrators and board of directors will remove the term “interim” from his title, but he’s not letting that keep him from looking toward next season.
Despite the season-ending loss to TSD, Denton said the 2018-19 season looks strong thanks to three returning starters, a slew of sophomores who got a lot of playing experience this year, and a group of eighth-graders on a junior high team that only lost one game this season.
In addition, Faith is moving from Class 4A to Class 3A in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools which puts it up against smaller (enrollment) teams than it faced this year.
“We’re coming,” Denton said about next season. “The future is bright.”
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Who really believes the “interim” coaching tag?