Mustangs’ determination makes it difficult for Hays

“Overall, I thought our kids gave great effort for their first game,” Bruce Etheridge said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, I felt the kids battled and competed well. We would have liked to have won.”

Marble Falls fell to Hays Consolidated, 74-62.

With three minutes remaining, the Mustangs were down by seven. They had to play defense and get a stop. Hays missed the shot but got the rebound because some of the players went to the perimeter to call for the outlet pass. 

“If we get that possession,” Etheridge said, “it might be a different game.”

The Rebels felt momentum start to swing in Marble Falls’ direction, the coach said, so they called two timeouts in a row.

“Our kids know what it’s like to have momentum,” the Mustangs skipper said. “We only had 14 turnovers for the game and played the style we want.”

The Mustangs were losing at halftime, 34-23.

“Second quarter was the killer,” Etheridge said.

The Rebels scored 16 points to the Mustangs’ six. 

“I believe that was the difference in the game,” the coach said. 

Two players for Hays, Ed Franco and Vince Sorrells, scored 29 and 23 points, respectively.

“(Franco) was just a real crafty guy,” Etheridge said. “He played extremely well. Most of (Sorrells’) shots came from three-point range.”

The Mustangs changed defenses to contain the duo in the hopes of getting a chance to get back in the contest, he said. 

Scoring was an issue for Marble Falls in the first half, he said. 

“In the second half, we executed a lot better,” the coach said. 

Hays was in a match-up zone, a 2-3 zone and a 1-3-1 zone, so Etheridge called for a lineup that included four shooters.

“We hadn’t run it that much in practice,” he said. “We’d penetrate and kickout, penetrate and kickout. The kids really got into rhythm.”

That included guard Connor Docherty, who dropped in 18 points.

“I was happy with his performance in the second half,” Etheridge said. “He came back in the second half and had six 3s. That’s a good thing to see out of a sophomore.”

Bron Etheridge, the coach’s son, scored 18 including four 3s.

The coach said he wants posts to be more involved in the offense.

“I believe if we had more balance on our attack, we’d have better results,” he said. “We fell behind by 10 or 12 points, we’re trading 3s for 2s.”

Marble Falls made only six of 15 two-point shots but were 14 of 40 from the three-point line for 35 percent. 

“We need a little more balance,” Etheridge said. “It was fun for our kids. I think our kids are enjoying it.”

He wants his players to get a better feel for when to shoot and when to pass to someone else.

“The ones we missed, we probably should have passed up and had better shot selections on them,” he said. “All we need to do is watch film and get kids to understand the value of possessions a little more.”

The coach said they understand there’s a process to learning but he liked what he saw.

“Sometimes you have to take baby steps,” he said. “It’ll serve as a game to grow in the future.”

Marble Falls will have its home opener, 2101 Mustang Drive, Friday against Westwood at 8 p.m.