Lady Stangs keep playoff hopes alive, travel to Leander Rouse
With one game left in the first round of District 25-5A play, the Marble Falls High School girls’ basketball team remains in the race for a playoff berth after defeating Georgetown East View 53-49 on Jan. 11 and losing to Leander Glenn 50-46 on Jan. 7.
“We’re sitting at 3-3 in district play,” head coach John Berkman said. “We have a chance to be 4-3 after the first round.”
Marble Falls plays Leander Rouse (11-12, 2-4) at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 14, at Rouse High School, 1222 Raider Way in Leander. The boys’ varsity game follows in the same gym.
The Lady Mustangs (17-9, 3-3) are in fourth place in the district standings. Cedar Park (22-0, 6-0), the defending state champion, and Georgetown (20-6, 6-0) are tied for first but will meet Friday, Jan. 14. Glenn is third in the standings.
The Lady Mustangs’ last two games illustrate the balance in the district. In both contests, Marble Falls faced small deficits, but the difference was in the closing minutes. Against East View, the Lady Mustangs made plays down the stretch, knocked down shots, and took advantage of opportunities from the foul line. Against Glenn, those factors worked against Marble Falls.
“On (Jan. 11 against East View), we had players hitting shots in timely spots,” Berkman said, noting his daughter, junior guard Alyssa Berkman, hit back-to-back 3-pointers off of assists from senior guard Gia Lemon. Sophomore post Lexie Edwards hit a couple of shots in a row in the final period to also help the Lady Stangs.
And though Marble Falls was 19 of 28 from the foul line, the Lady Mustangs went 6 of 8 in the final quarter.
“(Against Glenn), we didn’t shoot free throws well, especially in the fourth quarter,” the coach said. “The better teams make plays late, and we were able to do that (against East View).”
Marble Falls trailed East View 11-10 after the first quarter, was tied 22-22 at halftime, and was down 35-37 going into the fourth quarter. However, the Lady Stangs capitalized in the final period to come back for the win.
The Lady Mustangs trailed Glenn 16-9 after the opening period, 23-19 at the half, but led 35-34 after three quarters. This time, their opponents took control in the fourth period to earn the win.
Berkman noted “there’s a lot of little plays” such as getting 50-50 balls and making close range shots that didn’t go his team’s way against Glenn.
“Make those, and we’re winning by four,” he said.
Despite the loss to Glenn, Berkman feels good about how his team is performing.
“I’m proud of the way we’re playing,” he said. “We’re playing with toughness and grit. The kids are committed to our goals.”
The Marble Falls boys’ team (0-17, 0-4) lost to East View 68-46 and to Glenn 65-33.