Marble Falls boys basketball beats Austin Travis
CAPTION: Junior guard Beckett Berkman’s hot shooting forced Austin Travis to ensure the Rebels knew where he was at all times. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team defeated Austin Travis 58-48 Dec. 16.
Though the first quarter ended tied 11-11, the Mustangs began separating from the Rebels in the second stanza thanks to a 14-1 run. With 3 minutes and 23 seconds remaining in the half, Marble Falls led 25-12 thanks to two 3-pointers from junior guard Beckett Berkman and seven points from guard Logan Guerrero.
Needless to say, head coach John Berkman was pleased with the effort on both ends of the court, particularly on offense where the Mustangs haven’t consistently been able to score 50 points.
Beckett Berkman was the high point with 21 points thanks to hitting three more 3-pointers in the second half.
“We got some good production from several guys,” he said. “Beckett led the way for us, which was good, but Logan Guerrero came in and had a season-high nine points. He really found a little bit of a groove there (in the second quarter) and put up seven for us, a nice little stretch, and then got another bucket in the second half.”
Junior forward Marc Barrios scored seven points, while junior guard Cypress Neve added eight points.
“We had a good balance scoring, which I thought was good to see from our guys, which I think is what we’re going to need,” the coach said. “It’s not one guy doing it, but a lot of guys pitching in and doing their part.”
The offensive woes compelled coaches to design practices that had more shooting drills and competitions, John Berkman said. He saw those results in this win.
“Just some decision-making and playing basketball with some confidence drills in practice,” he said. “We really talked a lot about that after the weekend. When we catch the ball, we have to catch with confidence, that we know what we’re doing. So I think that got us moving in the right direction from the start, which was good. In my opinion, playing with confidence is a huge part of the of the game and if you’re playing with confidence, you’re ready when you catch the ball. You’re confident in the movements you’re making, which makes them stronger and more effective, the form on your shot is more stable and consistent. And so I think that really got us going.”
The other piece is that his son was having a solid shooting night, no matter what Travis threw at him.
“They were really trying to stay tight on him, but we did a good job of moving the ball and causing them to have to help off of him,” John Berkman said. “But he just he made some tough shots. Again everybody else was ready to shoot when he caught the ball, more than catch to look (for something else). It was more of a catch to be ready, and I think that made a big difference.”
Beckett Berkman’s hot shooting may in turn have helped the other players.
“I definitely think that’s a that’s a real thing,” his dad said. “I think things like that can be contagious. When one guy is feeling good and playing well, everybody else feels like they can match that a little bit, and they feel a little more calm because ‘oh OK, things are going good, things are going well, things are going the way we planned.’ And so they feel more confident in what they’re doing, which I think is extremely helpful. I definitely think that’s a thing.
And finally, the Mustangs didn’t let up on the defensive end.
“We definitely feel good about it,” the coach said. “That was something we had talked about before. Our defense was playing well and doing what we wanted. We needed the offense to come along with that as well, and so it’s nice to see the offense matching the defensive effort.”
Marble Falls is at Austin Eastside at 6:45 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, before breaking for the Christmas holiday.
CAPTION: Junior guard Cypress Neve came through with some key buckets to help the Mustangs get the win. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
