Free throws and 3-pointers push Lady Mustangs past Burnet
Burnet sophomore MaeSyn Gay (with ball) battled Marble Falls junior Emma Bindseil on Nov. 30. The Lady Mustangs won 57-50. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
The Marble Falls High School girls’ basketball team defeated Burnet 57-50 on Tuesday, Nov. 30.
The District 25-5A Lady Mustangs (5-4 overall) led 8-7 after the first quarter and 25-19 at the half. They outscored the District 19-4A Lady Dawgs (3-4) 21-9 in the third quarter then hung on for the victory.
Burnet, which was ranked No. 13 in the preseason in the Class 4A poll of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, used defensive pressure to force turnovers and turn them into points.
“I feel like our team played extremely hard all night,” said Lady Dawgs head coach Rick Gates. “The effort was there. We need to continue to give that kind of effort every night out.”
Marble Falls was able to take a 46-28 advantage into the final period because of long-range shooting. The Lady Mustangs made four 3-pointers.
“That really adds up quick,” said Marble Falls head coach John Berkman.
Meanwhile, Gates rallied his players between the third and fourth periods.
“I told them we needed to continue to play hard,” he said. “Our pressure was getting to them. It took its toll in the fourth quarter. They were tired, and I felt like we wore them down.”
The key difference in this contest, according to both head coaches, was free throwing shooting. Marble Falls was 20 of 29, while Burnet was 15 of 35.
“When you get that many opportunities and can’t cash in, it’s hard to win,” Gates said.
The Lady Mustangs used balanced scoring throughout the contest paced by junior Alyssa Berkman with 15 points and followed by Lexie Edwards with 10, junior Emma Koziel with 8, and juniors Avie Nail and Emma Bindseil with 7 each.
Berkman credited junior Tea Rodriquez for “controlling the game, and she had a three in the fourth quarter.”
“We really played tough throughout the whole game,” he said. “We have to have everybody do their job. That’s who we are as a team. There’s not one superstar. That’s what makes us a team, in my opinion.”
The Lady Dawgs recently had six players return after the volleyball season ended with a deep playoff run.
“They are working themselves into shape and are understandably a little rusty,” Gates said. “I know they will get where they need to be before district play.”
The Lady Dawgs are playing in the Granbury Tournament starting at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, against Waxahachie and returning to the court at 7 p.m. The games are at Granbury High School, 2000 W. Pearl St.
The Lady Mustangs are at the Lorena Tournament, where they’ll meet Waco Robinson at 10 a.m. Thursday, Lubbock Coronado at 9 a.m. Friday, and then play at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday against opponents to be determined. The games are at Lorena High School, 1 Leopard Lane.