The Lady Mustangs continue their tradition
As always, a Stephanie Gamble team has traits that give it a chance to be successful.
The first is the players. Even when they played defense, the athletes looked like they could outlast their opponent. The Lady Mustangs beat the opponent to the spot on the floor, which is a must if a player wants minutes from Gamble.
“They didn’t get a lot of dribble drives,” the coach said.
That goes back to conditioning, another trait of a Gamble team.
The coach will not allow her squad to lose because they are out of shape.
Katy Cooke and Katie Mosher said they could have gone longer if they had to and that’s thanks to the coaching staff’s commitment to getting the athletes in playing shape.
“We’re on target,” Gamble said. “They’re going to have to get a lot of minutes until our depth catches up.”
The players demonstrated a firm understanding of the offensive schemes.
None was more apparent than in the press breaker.
The Lady Mustangs have to rely on posts handling the ball and making two dribbles to pass to a guard who is running toward the other end.
In the last period, when it looked like Marble Falls would turn the ball over, the Lady Mustangs got it to Cooke or Diana Fonseca, who led a 2-on-1 break for a quick bucket.
Those are back-breakers for opponents who are playing defense and trying to get the ball back to end a deficit.
McNeil played a loose 2-3 zone in the hopes of forcing the Lady Mustangs to take outside shots in the half-court sets. But that was not successful, simply because Marble Falls was able to hit high-percentage shots underneath the basket.
The coach realizes there’s a gap between the starting five of Lindsay Ansley, Amanda Gray, Katie Mosher, Cooke and Fonseca, the athletes who have the most playing time on the varsity level.
“There’s a difference in their abilities,” she said. “They’re getting better every day. Everyone has to improve for the team to improve.”
In all honesty, the reserves played well. And a gap has always existed between the starting five and backups each season, even before Gamble arrived.
But what has always made the program successful is there has not been much of a learning curve on the varsity level.
What made the team successful in reaching the state tournament two seasons ago was that each player understood her role. And if any coach can get the most out of her athletes, it’s Gamble.
One of the factors Gamble said her players must address is not getting caught underneath the basket and out of position for offensive rebounds.
Rebounding and blocking out is a matter of pride to Gamble. That means getting in the right position and standing between the defender and the basket.
It also means the opponent only gets one shot per possession, and any athlete who has played for Gamble will say if you can’t block out, your minutes will be extremely limited.
We’ll learn more about the team this weekend during its annual American Bank Tournament. Marble Falls plays today at 9 a.m. and Friday at 10 a.m. Their game Saturday will depend on the outcome of Friday’s contest.
And one certainty continues from a Gamble team.
“If we want to walk away as district champs, you have to learn to compete,” she said. “Might as well start now. If you have a chance to compete, you’ll come out on top.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com