Faith Academy girls basketball beats Round Rock Christian

CAPTION: The 2025-26 Faith Academy of Marble Falls girls basketball team includes Graylee Bergman (left), Cuyleigh Zimmerman, Jasmine Guy, Madison Winsborough, Megan Burrows, Natalie Weems, Alayna Reyes, Ashlyn Rishavy, Lilly Koziel, Layla Terrell, Olivia Kraenzel and Selby Sanchez. Courtesy photo

The Faith Academy of Marble Falls girls basketball team scorched Round Rock Christian 59-22 Nov. 14.

Lady Flames head coach Harvey Vaughn noted the Crusaders “are in a rebuilding phase right now.”

“They were much better than they were last year when we beat them,” he said. “And so it was a good win for us. We played extremely well in the first half. There’s always things you can pick at. But as far as what we had been really focusing on — executing better and areas we wanted to do better — they where I need them to be, and now I can see that they know what they’re supposed to do. We’ve just got to get better at the consistency.”

Faith (1-1) raced to a 25-5 lead in the opening stanza that ballooned to 39-14 at the half.

Sophomore Layla Terrell led with 10 points and 12 rebounds with eight coming off the offensive glass, sophomore guard Olivia Kraenzel scored 14 points and had two assists and four steals, and senior post Natalie Weems scored six points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Cuyleigh Zimmerman had eight steals and eight points, while Selby Sanchez had eight points and four steals. Junior guard Lilly Koziel scored six points and added two rebounds, two assists and three steals.

“I’m hoping we have four or five girls scoring six to 10 points a game,” Vaughn said. “That makes us a harder team to defend. We played everyone. My one through nine (players) got a decent amount of playing time, so they all got their opportunities.”

The coach noted most of Kraenzel’s points came from half-court sets.

“She’s a good shooter, she drives very well,” he said. “She sees gaps and can get to the basket. She sees the floor very well. Any time we’re being pressed, I have her throw the ball in to get it to our guards because then she’s the safety. If our middle cut isn’t there or the other pass isn’t there, they get it to her immediately and she can dribble and see the floor and get it to somebody better than anyone else at this point. She’s just a natural.”

Vaughn commended his players for understanding what he wants to see on the floor.

“We’re supposed to be a fast-breaking team,” he said. “Once you get the rebound, everybody has a job to do. We like to get wide. We rebound, we outlet (the pass) outside the volleyball lines, and we want to pass it. So obviously girls have to be running those lanes and immediately catching and at most, taking one dribble to get that ball forward if it’s open. We’d like to not ever set up a half-court offense if possible.”

The coach noted he saw much of that in the first half.

“We probably scored our first 12 points on fast breaks,” he said. “So it was the speed that’s required to do that. They were getting out quick, full speed, sprinting out quick. So that makes all the difference in the world.”

He also pointed out the Lady Flames “are getting a pretty good idea of what we’re trying to do overall defensively.”

“They’re beginning to play more as a team and starting to talk to each other, which are all positives,” Vaughn said.

Faith travels to Belton Providence Prep Tuesday, Nov. 18, and welcomes Austin Veritas Thursday, Nov. 20. Both games begin at 6 p.m.