Burnet can’t contain Liberty Hill Panthers
BURNET — When the game began, few people would have guessed the lopsided win Jan. 24 over the Burnet High School boys basketball team by Liberty Hill.
That’s because the Bulldogs slowed the pace in the first quarter to match Liberty Hill bucket for bucket, though the Panthers led 13-10 after the first quarter.
PHOTO 1: Burnet High School senior post Jordan Barnard defends the paint in the setback to Liberty Hill Jan. 24. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
But in the end, the Panthers (4-0) were able to adjust, push the tempo and limit the Bulldogs (13-11, 3-1) for a 47-34 victory.
"We played a good team that can shoot the ball," Burnet head coach Roy Kiser said. "I was confident our guys were going to play defense. They average 75 points a game. We did the job on defense. We learned what they could do and adjusted."
Liberty Hill leaned heavily on forward Shane LaCaille, who dropped in 27 points. He used a complete game but was very effective on completing fastbreak opportunities to help the Panthers pull away. No other Panther was in double figures.
To Kiser, however, the Bulldogs’ struggles on the offensive end, where they couldn’t finish plays with layups or two-footers, was the difference in the outcome.
"We had layups and threes that didn’t go in," he said. "We played smart on offense. I’m proud of the job we did against the press."
Senior guard Grant Cole led Burnet with 12 points, with seven coming from the foul line.
Senior post Jordan Barnard "hustled all night to get rebounds and loose balls," Kiser said.
"We held a high-scoring team to 47 points. It’s what I expect of my guys," he said. "We can definitely build on that."
Burnet will welcome Llano Jan. 27 to The Doghouse, 1000 The Green Mile, with the varsity girls to play at 6:30 p.m. and the varsity boys to follow at 8 p.m.