Burnet boys basketball beats Marble Falls
CAPTION: Burnet senior point guard Jaxon Sparks was truly that for the Bulldogs in leading them back to the playoffs by sweeping the Marble Falls Mustangs. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Burnet High School boys basketball team defeated Marble Falls 57-50 Feb. 10 in District 24-4A play to advance to the Class 4A playoffs.
“A very big deal,” power forward Eli Pickens said. “It’s senior year for all three of us (Jaxon Sparks and J.J. Whigham). Actually, a blessing, I’m glad we did.”
“Feels great,” Sparks said. “Senior year – it’s the only thing I wanted.”
The Bulldogs advanced thanks to Sparks and Pickens, who took over the fourth quarter with clutch baskets that gave Burnet more than points – the chance to close out an opponent.
“We really needed this game,” Pickens said. “We made shots. That’s all it comes down to is it’s just a rhythm.”
Burnet took the lead 35-34 with 7 minutes and 18 seconds remaining in the contest then added to it when senior forward Braven Briant nailed the Bulldogs’ only 3-pointer of the contest from the right side, sending the Mustangs into a timeout.
They responded with a 3-pointer from Logan Guerrero to trim the deficit to 38-37 with 5:25 left.
From that point, the Bulldogs scored just enough to maintain at least a one-possession lead the rest of the game.
That’s because Pickens and Sparks took advantage of one-on-one opportunities where they felt the most comfortable. Head coach Juston Weldon called for an offense to spread the floor, giving Sparks the option to drive for layups, while Pickens caught the ball near the low block and used his footwork and ball handling to get high-percentage shots.
And though the Mustangs cut the deficit to a single digit — thanks to junior forward Marc Barrios connecting on two free throws 44-43 with 3:09 remaining — they couldn’t regain the lead.
“(Sparks) had a heck of a game,” Weldon said. “He’s our point guard and senior leader, and I challenged him, honestly, to take over. Because I know how much it means to him. And so I challenged him, ‘Hey, just take over, take this game over.’ And he did. He made the right decisions. I don’t remember him making any bad decisions with the ball in his hands, so he was our rock.”
The Bulldogs prepared to face the Mustangs’ zone defense, but Marble Falls came out in a man to man, determined not to allow Burnet’s long-range shooters to dictate the outcome of the rematch.
For about two-and-a-half quarters, it worked even when foul trouble forced Marble Falls to lean more on its reserves.
And those reserves responded to ensure the Mustangs kept leads of 12-9 after the opening stanza and 22-18 at the break.
It was the veterans, however, who ensured the Mustangs had leads. Senior center Cameron Plumlee connected on three baskets in the lane, while junior guard Cypress Neve and Barrios scored four points apiece in the second quarter.
Still the night belonged to Pickens and Sparks, who scored all nine of the Bulldogs’ points in the second period. Out of the Bulldogs’ 15 third-quarter points, only four were scored by someone who wasn’t Sparks or Pickens. And out of the 24 fourth-period points, only five were scored by a Bulldog who wasn’t Sparks or Pickens.
“In the first half, (Pickens) played out of his comfort zone,” Weldon said. “In the second half, we woke up and he carried us inside, too. And when those two guys are scoring together, we’re a pretty good basketball team.”
Pickens said that Sparks talked to him in the first half, asking him to “wake up.”
“I was like, ‘I’m awake,'” he said. “I just need to get to the rack and start getting going in the paint and then sooner or later, I started hitting from the paint. Now I just go from there.”
“Had to be a leader,” Sparks said. “Step out, keep pumping up your teammates, keep bringing them up, listen to your coach. At the end of the day, I’m an extension of him.”
Sparks finished with 30 points thanks to scoring 9 field goals and going 12 for 16 from the foul line. Pickens added 17 points with 7 field goals.
“I think that was a big part of their defensive game plan, and that’s why they went man a lot more than zoning us, which opened up the middle for Eli and Jaxon to get downhill,” Weldon said. “I was really proud of our ball movement the second half. I really thought we got back to less dribbles and more passing and cutting and quick ball movement, which would then opened up driving lanes for Jaxon.”
In all the Bulldogs were 20 for 34 from the free throw line and didn’t foul enough in the second half to send the Mustangs to the foul line. Marble Falls was 10 for 14.
“It took us a little while to get our feet wet, but I’m super proud of our kids,” Weldon said. “We’ve had a ton of adversity all year, just lots and lots of things. I had a lot of highs and lows, things not go our way. And with how the first half went, I was kind of worried it was just another bad luck night, and we couldn’t shoot very well. And there’s a lot of free throws. Just proud of how we stuck together and kept (staying) in it. And found a way to win.”
Burnet travels to Jarrell and Marble Falls visits Salado Tuesday, Feb. 17, to end the regular season. The subvarsities play at 5 p.m. and the varsities will follow.
CAPTION: Burnet senior power forward Eli Pickens eyes the basket as he looks to score on a reverse layup against Marble Falls. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
