Marble Falls girls basketball

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior forward Leslie Reynoso continues to attack the basket with high-percentage shots and rebounds. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School girls basketball team finished its Hill Country Tournament with a 1-3 record Nov. 20-22.

Head coach Adley Canales exited Marble Falls High School when the event ended encouraged by what he saw.

“I thought it was a good tournament,” he said. “Overall, we saw a bunch of really good teams, teams that are primarily really good and that’s what we’re looking to see, hoping to see competition level that prepares for district.”

Though the Lady Mustangs (3-6) ended the tournament on a three-game losing streak, Canales pointed out some specifics in each contest that are encouraging.

He noted that though they lost to Justin Northwest, a District 4-6A member, 54-38 Nov. 22, the two teams were tied going into the final stanza. Against Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (5-2), which won District 29-5A and reached the Division I Region IV semifinals last season, Marble Falls stayed with the Hornets for two quarters before the final horn sounded for 51-34 loss Nov. 20. The same can be said of the 48-25 loss to Austin St. Dominic Savio where Marble Falls was right with the Lady Eagles for a couple of quarters Nov. 21.

“It just showed them that they’re capable of it,” the coach said. “We ended up losing, but that doesn’t mean that the team played bad. That’s just the downside when you play (Class) 6As. They have a little more numbers to work with than we do.” 

All of that illustrates the comfort and trust these Lady Mustangs have with one another, specifics they have been working on since the 2024-25 season ended in February. These players committed to playing in the spring for the Austin Magic Basketball Club and summer league where they coached themselves against other Hill Country teams. All of that extra effort is showing as Marble Falls continues a tough pre-district schedule.

“My biggest thing would be the chemistry,” the coach said. “Their growth playing good teams that are primarily good, you have to be disciplined throughout the game. That’s just what we wanted to see, to grow. Of course, the outcomes aren’t what we wanted, but the girls played extremely hard. The chemistry, their effort, communication – all that stuff was great. And they built on it all the way through the last game, which is promising.”  

The other part Canales liked about the tournament?

“You see a lot of different styles from all over the state,” he said. “Stuff that we’re not normally used to seeing gets thrown at our defense, which allows us to see it and make adjustments. If we’re not playing teams from around the state, we may only see one style of basketball and then by the time we see something new, it may be too late.” 

Marble Falls travels to Killeen Harker Heights Tuesday, Dec. 2 with the junior varsity playing at 5 p.m. and the varsity to follow.

“Overall, yes, I’m extremely proud of the way the team played, and I look forward to growing as we get closer to January,” Canales said.  

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior point guard Rayleigh Crim helps keep the front of the Lady Mustangs’ offense and defense in sync thanks to her ball-handling and stingy defense. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro