Marble Falls girls basketball beats Taylor
CAPTION: Marble Falls sophomore Ally Moran was the outside shooting agitator for the Lady Mustangs by dropping in bombs from behind the arc to force Taylor to loosen up its defense. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School girls basketball team crushed Taylor 49-27 Jan. 20 in District 24-4A to remain in second place.
The Lady Mustangs led 6-5 after the first period then exploded for 18 points in the second to take a 24-11 advantage into the break and 37-18 after three quarters.
“It was a good game,” head coach Adley Canales said. “Our goal was to play our game, play the way we want to play and not get into their style of play and not let them dictate the way the game’s going to go. We reset, leaned on our defense heavily, and we were able to pull away.”
During the one minute between the first and second quarters, Canales indicated he told the players the good things he saw.
“We started out slow. It was just reset,” he said. “That second quarter was the difference for us. Once we reset, and when I say reset it’s not like we were playing bad. Our defense was still there – we only gave up five points.”
The Lady Mustangs returned to the court and turned up the defensive intensity. That fueled what they did on the other end, the coach said.
“We were more active, got some steals and scored buckets in transition,” he said. “And then on offense, we weren’t forcing anything. We were playing our brand of basketball going inside out, and we hit three 3-pointers that quarter. So that was half of our points.”
Those long-range bombs came from sophomore guard Ally Moran.
“They were open shots,” Canales said. “We were taking the ball and going to our posts. They were attacking and then a bunch of them were on kickouts.”
Once the Taylor defense collapsed on senior center Leslie Reynoso and freshman forward Emma Martin in the paint, the two Lady Mustangs found who was open around the arc. It was Moran.
“(Taylor) would close down on them, and they’d left wide open shooters,” Canales said. “Ally is good defensively for us, and then if you’re going to leave her open, she’ll make you pay like she did.”
Meanwhile, the Lady Mustangs kept the defensive ferocity high as they allowed only five, six, seven and nine points in each of the quarters, which pleased the coach.
“That’ll translate in any gym,” he said. “And that’s what’s helped us win on the road. We finally settled in and allowed it to carry us through everything else. And yeah, we pulled away.”
Sophomore forward Addy Wood led with 14 points followed by Martin with 13 and Moran finished with nine.
The victory ensures the Lady Mustangs remain a game behind Salado (21-7, 4-0), who is in first place in the district and ahead of Lampasas (16-10, 2-2) and Jarrell (16-10, 2-2).
The parity in the district is apparent with most games decided by about three possessions. Though Burnet is still seeking its first district victory, the Lady Dawgs lost to Jarrell 40-36 Jan. 20.
The Lady Cougars lost to Lampasas 61-58 in overtime Jan. 16, and the Lady Badgers lost to the Lady Mustangs 42-39 Jan. 13.
Salado is unbeaten in district play but has defeated Jarrell 50-42 Jan. 9, Marble Falls 41-38 Jan. 16 and Lampasas 42-35 Jan. 20.
That’s why the Lady Mustangs earning their third district victory, all on the road, was vital to what they want to accomplish this season.
“It was a good win,” Canales said. “This is a game we’re supposed to win and you have win the games you’re supposed to win. We can’t drop them.”
Marble Falls welcomes Jarrell Friday, Jan. 26, in a double header. Because of the expected bad weather, officials have moved up the tipoffs for both varsity games. The Lady Mustangs will take the court at 4 p.m. with the Mustangs following them at 5:30 p.m.
CAPTION: Sophomore forward Addy Wood continues to lead the offensive attack for the Lady Mustangs thanks to converting on her opportunities. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
