San Marcos (0-3) is looking at the bigger picture.
The team dropped its third-straight game Saturday afternoon after a 17-0 run in the third quarter handed momentum to No. 10 Killeen Ellison (4-0) inside the Snake Pit. The hosts’ defensive intensity picked back up late in the game, cutting the lead back to six,, but it was too late as Ellison hit 6-8 free throws down the stretch to close the game out, 72-65.
Two of San Marcos’ three season-opening opponents have been ranked in the top 20 of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) rankings this season and have a combined record of 6-1 already this year. It’s one of the tougher preseason schedules the Rattlers had in a while but they don’t complain about it. Head coach Steven Pinchback alluded to the fact that these games are all preparation for district play.
”We’re still finding out ourselves, when we actually play, we can play with anybody. We just gotta fight through a few things and learn how to finish. (Ellison is) a good team, that’s why they’re ranked. It’s what I expected,” Pinchback said. ”We just gotta keep working on ourselves and ride the wave a little bit. But what we’re doing now, it’s gonna pay off. I’m gonna stay true to that and I’m gonna keep believing in that. It’s a little rough right now but we’re not going to lose faith in what we’ve got going because it’s gonna pay off. We’re playing all the top teams in the state so we’ll be ready when it’s district time, for sure.”
Fast-paced is the style that the purple and white have chosen to adopt and so did Ellison when they used their athleticism and speed to press the Rattlers in the opening quarter, giving the visitors an 18-11 advantage. Sophomore guard Kaden Gumbs found success in transition, stealing a 6-0 run by himself including a nice flush off of one leg. The pace of the game left the score 27-19 after the first quarter.
San Marcos got hot in the second, scoring more than half of its points in transition. Sophomore forward Malik Presley played copy-cat, slamming it home on a fastbreak tying the game at 30-30 and forcing the Eagles to call a timeout at the 4:25 mark. The hosts closed the half on a 9-3 run.
The script flipped midway through the third quarter when Gumbs — the Rattlers’ defensive anchor — picked up his fourth foul and was forced to sit until deep into the fourth. Ellison took advantage of the lack of perimeter defensive presence and outscored the hosts 27-6 following halftime.
”When your guys make some shots, you gotta fight through it and get out there and close out. Some of them are still young and some of them haven’t played. It’s not like junior high, it’s a lot more elevated. So they’ll figure it out,” Pinchback said. “We just gotta let them know that we have faith in them and we believe in what we got going on, trust the process, and keep building, that’s all we’re gonna do.”
The Rattlers utilized a full-court press in a desperation attempt to get back into it and they did with consecutive steals. Sophomore forward Mateus Perkins got speed attacking downhill, swerving through the defense and finishing strong with 50.9 seconds left. San Marcos resorted to the foul game but Ellison wrapped the game up at 72-65 from the free throw line.
San Marcos keeps its tough preseason schedule going on Tuesday afternoon inside the Snake Pit against Temple at 3:30 p.m.
“These three teams we’ve played are about all the same. They’re going to press you. I mean that’s what they do. So that’s what we want. We want those type of teams and will be battle-tested, same kind of game plan. It’s just about us and putting a total game together,” Pinchback said. “When we do that, we’ll be fine. It’s just some learning pains and some growing pains but I’d take these guys to war any day. They’re gonna fight and keep fighting for you so that’s all I can ask for.”
