Burnet girls basketball continues winning ways
The Burnet High School girls basketball team keeps adding to its impressive list of wins.
The Lady Dawgs (15-5) defeated Brownwood 42-27 Dec. 11 on the heels of beating Sulphur Springs 33-18, Palestine 60-38, Gladewater 50-23 and Rusk 50-35 all at the Great East Texas Shootout tournament Dec. 7-9. The lone loss at the event was to Edgewood 40-35.
In all, Burnet has won 11 of its last 12 contests.
“I think they’re confident in what we’re doing,” head coach Rick Gates said. “They’re going out there and proving that.”
The Lady Dawgs showed their commitment to defense in holding Brownwood to 27 points in 32 minutes of play.
“I really am impressed with how well our defense has played this season,” Gates said. “We’re getting after it defensively. I love to see it.”
Senior center Zaria Solis dropped in 21 points while junior center Cydney Robison added 8, junior point guard Sydney Lough scored 7, and senior guard and forward MaeSyn Gay chipped in 6.
That scoring was without the Lady Dawgs hitting a 3-pointer.
Different Lady Dawgs stepping up offensively illustrates another key to their success – trust. Gates said the team had a talk about how trust is displayed during a game.
“We have to trust what we’re doing offensively and defensively,” he said. “We have to trust our teammates that they’re going to catch and finish. They’re embracing that. Zaria is a great finisher around the basket. If MaeSyn catches it in the paint, she’ll score.”
The first day of the tournament was a showcase where Burnet showed its depth and muscle. The second day was the start of bracket play.
Gates was reflected on the 20 games his squad has played so far.
“We’re a better defensive team than I thought we’d be and probably not as good of an offensive team as I thought we’d be,” he said. “We’re seeing flashes of good offense. Salado (a 57-46 win Dec. 5) was probably the best overall game we’ve played all year. It’s a combination of things.”
He noted he’d like to see fewer turnovers and more consistency finishing around the basket, making free throws and hitting 3-pointers.
“In one game, our free throw shooting is at 80 percent and 40 percent the next,” the coach said. “It’s just not consistent. I felt like we’d be a good team going into the season. As the coach, I’m putting the pieces together. We have a good rotation and the girls are playing well. I feel like we still have some room to grow and get better.”
Burnet welcomes China Spring Friday, Dec. 15, with the junior varsity at 4 p.m., the varsity at 5:15 p.m., and the freshmen at 6:30 p.m. The Lady Dawgs travel to travel to Brady Tuesday, Dec. 19, with junior varsity taking the court at 5 p.m. and varsity at 6:30 p.m.
“We’re probably a little ahead of where I thought we’d be,” the coach said. “We have two games left before district going into the break. We have a good chance to win both. I’m proud of them and happy with where we are.”
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