Marble Falls point guard shines

November 20, 2012, 10:30 am by Mark Goodson

By Mark Goodson

Highlander Sports Editor

Marble Falls won its home opener with senior point guard Collin Edwards showcasing his skills in running the offense.

Edwards scored 22 points and did an excellent job of keeping the offense in flow in a 57-50 win over the Fredericksburg Billies at Max Copeland Gymnasium.

Edwards spread out his scoring, getting progressive better each quarter with four, five, six and seven points, respectively.

"He’s the type of player that makes you pay,’’ said Marble Falls coach Neil Laminack of his senior point guard.

Edwards was equally efficient at passing as he was scoring. He’s a point guard that distributes while he’s on the attack.

The Marble Falls starting five of Edwards, Joey Blackledge, Ben Stripling, Nick O’Connor and Rey Baltazar combined for 53 of the team’s 57 points. Frederic Filsoof added four points in a relief role.

Marble Falls led 16-14 after a fast-paced first quarter for both teams. They Mustangs increased the lead to 33-26 at halftime.

"We had a really good first half and then all the problems we had in the second half were because of me,’’ Laminack said. "It was my rotation of the subs.’’

Laminack said the team’s versatility had him subbing in guys in positions they weren’t comfortable in.

The Mustangs were able to keep up the good pace behind some solid hustle and ball movement.

Marble Falls’ Edwards made a key shot down the stretch when he made a slashing drive through the Billies defense and scored putting the ball up off the glass. The shot pushed the lead to 53-47 wit 1:39 left.

Baltazar, the team’s center, fouled out with 1:25, but the Mustangs were able to maintain the lead behind some key free throw shooting from Stripling.

Stripling and Edwards combined to hit four of six free throws in the final 47 seconds.

The Mustangs improved to 2-1 with the victory.