Burnet girls basketball adds wins to keep district lead

CAPTION: Burnet senior guard Sydney Lough helps the Lady Dawgs control the pace and the results of each game. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School girls basketball team slipped past Taylor 45-38 Jan. 28 after crushing Salado 42-29 Jan. 24 and Marble Falls 49-25 Jan. 22 to remain atop of the District 24-4A standings.

Taylor had a three-game winning streak snapped by Jarrell 42-35 Jan. 24 and entered the contest against the Lady Dawgs confident.

But Burnet wouldn’t be denied, taking a 13-10 lead after the first period, 20-16 at the half and 32-23 going into the fourth quarter.

Both teams needed the win for different reasons. The victory keeps the Lady Dawgs (16-14, 7-1) atop of District 24-4A with a half-game lead over Jarrell (26-6, 7-1).

Salado (16-14, 3-4) beat Marble Falls 74-40 for third in the standings, while Taylor (11-18, 3-5) and Lampasas (11-20, 3-5) are tied for fourth.

Salado, which had beaten the Lady Dawgs 63-54 Jan. 7, trailed 10-8 after the first period and 16-15 at the half.

Burnet was 1 for 10 from the floor.

“We weren’t shooting the ball well,” head coach Doug Messer said.

To help his players, Messer emphasized more effort on the defensive end and pushing the pace for high-percentage shots.

The result was an 18-8 third quarter that propelled Burnet to a 32-23 lead going into the fourth period.

“It was a hard-fought game early,” the coach said. “We came out on fire. We made little adjustments.”

Senior guard Sydney Lough paced the Lady Dawgs by dropping in 20 points thanks to converting four 3-pointers, three 2-pointers and both free throws.

“They didn’t have anybody who could guard her,” Messer said.

Senior forward Sierra Schaefer added 14 points and freshman post Emma Hashbarger scored 8.

The Lady Dawgs faced a Marble Falls team determined to slow the pace.

“They did a good job getting the ball inside to (junior center Leslie) Reynoso),” Messer said. “She’s a good player. They played better team ball (than in the first meeting).”

Burnet answered by pushing the pace and playing defense from one baseline to the other.

“We pressed, and that helped get us going,” Messer said. “And when you don’t make shots, you can’t press. It’s about the energy level.”

He noted the difference in winning in this district is consistent play over 32 minutes. He pointed out a trend where three quarters may be decided by a handful of points. But there’s usually a quarter where one team simply runs away from the other and a game becomes a blowout.

“That’s the luxury,” he said. “Can you do it for four quarters? A bad quarter can cost you a game. We try to focus on four solid quarters.”

Schaefer scored 13 points, while Lough had 11, and Hashbarger finished with 10.

Burnet travels to Jarrell Friday, Jan. 31, with the junior varsity playing at 5 p.m., the varsity at 6:15 p.m. and the freshmen 8 p.m.