San Marcos put together a strong effort in the third quarter against Cibolo Steele on Tuesday.
The Rattlers outscored the Knights, 24-14, in the third period. But early-game struggles doomed San Marcos as the Rattlers lost, 79-50, to Steele inside the Snake Pit.
"We got some points and we don’t turn the ball over as much and we got some rebounds," head coach Thomas Acker said of his team’s third-quarter performance. "And so, all of that, I told them if they’re going to hang onto anything from this game, hang on to the third quarter because we went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the district."
Steele (21-8, 8-2 26-6A) got off to a hot start against San Marcos (7-20, 2-8). The Knights raced out to a quick 11-0 lead. San Marcos got some good looks at the basket but the shots just wouldn’t fall in the first quarter.
Steele exited the opening period with a 27-5 advantage.
"Getting buried in that first quarter, 11-0, hurt," Acker said. "They hit three 3s. I can remember one was on an assignment breakdown. We were in a zone and we just didn’t rotate fast enough … But you know, in this district, you have to pick your poison and see how you match up with different teams and we felt like zone would be a good fit for this game and I do think it would’ve been.
"... The rebounding really hurt us tonight and they made some transition baskets and turnovers really hurt us tonight."
San Marcos’ offense found a bit of a rhythm in the second quarter. But Steele took a 45-17 lead into halftime.
The Rattler offense, however, clicked in the third quarter. San Marcos was able to penetrate and knock down shots. The Rattlers also played their best defense in the period.
San Marcos only saw itself down 59-41 heading into the fourth quarter. But the Rattlers fell to Steele, 79-50.
San Marcos continues district play against Schertz Clemens on Friday at 7 p.m. The Rattlers host Rattler Nation night, where all of San Marcos’ athletic teams will be honored.
"We’ll try to learn from the tape and see the mistakes that we made," Acker said. "Lick our wounds a little bit and be noble-minded and have a growth mindset at the same time that we can get better. There are still games to be played, so we should be striving to get better as individuals players and as a team. There’s still some games left in the season, so these guys will fight and work hard."
