Marble Falls girls basketball competes well at Robinson tourney

CAPTION: The Marble Falls Lady Mustangs gather for a photo while playing in the Waco Robinson Rockets Invitational. Courtesy photo

The Marble Falls High School girls basketball team finished second in the silver bracket of the Waco Robinson Rockets Invitational Dec. 11-13 thanks to posting a 2-2 record.

The Lady Mustangs defeated Groesbeck 50-30 and Austin Valor 44-41 in overtime and lost to Robinson 27-19 and Concordia Lutheran 30-23.

Even in the losses Marble Falls head coach Adley Canales was encouraged.

“Our defense was really good against Groesbeck. We only allowed 30 points,” he said. “.Against Robinson, which was our second game, we only allowed 27 points. Against Walor we went in overtime and only allowed 41, so that was really good for us. And then against Concordia Lutheran, we only gave up 30 again. So our defense was solid. We were really, really pleased with that.”

What has the attention of the coaching staff, he said, is what’s happening on the other end.

“We just struggled getting the ball in the basket at times,” Canales said. “We had open looks. Shots just weren’t falling, but our defense gave us a chance of being in the games. We were close in all of them. Against Robinson, we lost by nine and that got extended a little more towards the end. We started fouling, trying to get the ball back  Against Concordia Lutheran, it ended up by seven. Same thing – started fouling late to get the ball back and they extended the lead a little bit.”

He noted the Lady Mustangs are examining everything in an effort to get the offense going.

“We’re trying to figure that out – that’s what we’re working on,” the coach said. “We feel confident in our defense, we’re happy with that. And it’s keeping us in games. We’re just struggling to score. Only giving up 27 and 30 in two games – that’s hard to argue with defense. We just gotta score.”   

Marble Falls followed that with a 64-33 loss to Lorena Dec. 16. The Lady Leopards, who hit eleven 3-pointers, shot 40 percent in that category and 50 percent in 2-point field goals. The Lady Mustangs exited impressed.

“They could shoot the lights out,” Canales said. “They are a good basketball team and everybody can shoot, so it’s not one girl we could key in on. They had four different girls who hit 3-pointers for them.” 

The game was tied 6-6 with 2 minutes and 24 seconds remaining in the opening stanza. But Lorena went on a 9-0 run that ended when junior forward Alexis Sprott hit a 3-pointer from the penetration line just before the horn sounded to finish the first quarter and trim the deficit to 15-9.

The two teams exchanged buckets throughout the second period with Lorena leading 23-13. But the Lady Leopards ended the half on a 13-1 run in the final three minutes for a 36-16 advantage at the intermission.

Lorena outscored Marble Falls 14-11 in the third quarter for a 50-27 lead headed into the final period.

“It was good defense, good offense – you just have to tip your hat,” Canales said. “They hit contested shots. You just tip your hat because there’s nothing we could do. They were impressive. I have nothing bad to say about them. They were good.”   

Marble Falls welcomes Fischer Canyon Lake Friday, Dec. 19, with the junior varsity playing at 3 p.m. and the varsity at 4:30 p.m. before predating for the Christmas holiday. The Lady Mustangs will play at Gatesville at noon Tuesday, Dec. 30, then welcome Brownwood at noon Saturday, Jan. 3.

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior forward Leslie Reynoso will be honored before the contest against Fischer Canyon Lake for earning her 500th rebound as a Lady Mustang. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro