Burnet basketball squads defeat Llano in district games
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
LLANO — The Burnet High School boys basketball team beat Llano 53-40 in a District 8-3A contest Jan. 31.
The game wasn’t out of reach until the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs (16-11, 6-1 district) led by as many as 15 points in the third period. But the Yellow Jackets (4-3 in district) responded as sophomore Joey Albor finished the quarter by scoring two 3-pointers to trim the deficit to 35-28.
Burnet maintained a 10-point lead during the first part of the fourth period then scored 7 of 10 free throws in the final two minutes for the victory.
“Llano has very competitive kids,” Bulldogs head coach Roy Kiser said. “(Llano head coach Aidan) Callahan is doing a great job. They have size and shooters. We tell our kids, when nothing is going your way, there are things a tough team does. We made plays to get out of here with a win.”
One thing Burnet did was re-emphasize rebounding, Kiser said. He noted that stat played a factor in the loss to Liberty Hill three nights earlier. The Bulldogs are tied for first place in district with Liberty Hill
“We did a solid job inside and out,” he said. “In the first half, not so good. We did a better job in the second half.”
During the days leading up to the contest against the Yellow Jackets, Kiser said he instructed players to re-establish goals and voice them to help each other accomplish them.
“We wanted to make sure they understood we’re going to rebound,” he said. “That’s one of the components of us winning. We have to share the ball and make the extra passes.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com
TOP PLAYERS: (Burnet) Clayton Baumgart 18 points and 11 rebounds, Colton Stevens 18 points; (Llano) Jai Bhakta 9 points
ON OFFENSE: (Burnet) points — Joe Parker 6, Derek Kiser 5, Chase Mardis 4, Darius Johnson 2. (Llano) points — Issac Hutto 6, Joey Albor 6, Taylor Sorenson 6, Chance Ware 5, Dusty Jordan 4, Layton Rabb 2, Kasin Riley 2.
RECORDS: Burnet is 16-11 overall and 6-1 in District 8-3A play; Llano is 4-3 in district.
UP NEXT: 8 p.m. Feb. 4, Burnet vs. Lampasas at The Doghouse, 1000 The Green Mile in Burnet; 8 p.m. Feb. 4, Llano at Brownwood, 2100 Slayden St. in Brownwood
DISTRICT 8-3A STANDINGS:
Burnet, 6-1
Liberty Hill, 6-1
Llano, 4-3
Lampasas, 3-4
Gatesville, 1-5
Brownwood, 0-6
Burnet girls 53, Llano 37
LLANO — The Burnet High School girls basketball team defeated Llano 53-37 on Jan. 31 in District 8-3A play, outscoring the Lady Jackets in every quarter.
But Llano didn’t make it easy, Burnet head coach Doug Messer said.
“It was a fight,” he said. “It was a good ol’ physical game. It was senior night for three of (Llano’s) players. And you want to finish with a good team with your seniors.”
Burnet (17-11, 5-4 in district) took an 11-6 lead after the first quarter, a 24-18 advantage at the half and a 31-23 lead after three periods.
“They weren’t going to back down,” Messer said of the Lady Jackets (0-9 in district.) “They battled hard. We found some places where we changed our frame of mind.”
One was from junior guard Riley Scott. Three days after scoring four points against Liberty Hill, Scott dropped in 30 against Llano.
Messer also commended the play of senior post Valerie Solis.
“Riley was a lot more aggressive,” he said. “She has to be that. The main difference was Valerie, who came in with her physical presence and gave us some hustle plays. She changed the momentum. It was a good win for us.”
TOP PLAYERS: (Burnet) Riley Scott 30 points, 7 steals, 4 rebounds, 4 assists; (Llano) Abby Spurgin 12 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
ON OFFENSE: (Burnet) points — Lauren Beckwith 9, Valerie Solis 6, Danielle Lindley 4, Micayla Light 2, Hannah McCurry; assists – Beckwith 2, Solis 2, Katelyn Pool 1, Shaylah Hullum 1; rebounds – Solis 5, McCurry 3, Beckwith 2, Lindley 2, Light 1, Pool 1, Rose Bailey 1. (Llano) points – Cierra Caffey 10, Courtney Mize 5, Ericka Tisdale 3, Sarah Hasty 3, Shaylee Jameson 2, Lacey Redden 2; assists – Claire Williams 2, Hasty 2, Jameson 1, Mize 1,Caffey 1; rebounds – Tisdale 2, Redden 1, Williams 1.
ON DEFENSE: (Burnet) steals – Solis 4, Lindley 4, Beckwith 1, Hullum 1; rebounds – Light 5, Solis 4, Bailey 3, Beckwith 2; blocks – Bailey 3, McCurry 1, Lindley 1, Amber Sprankle 1. (Llano) steals – Caffey 2, Redden 2, Hasty 2, Williams 1, Mize 1; rebounds – Redden 5, Caffey 3, Williams 2, Hasty 2, Jameson 1; blocks – Williams 1, Redden 1.
RECORDS: Burnet is 17-11 overall and 5-4 in District 8-3A; Llano is 0-9 in district.
UP NEXT: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 4, Burnet vs. Lampasas at The Doghouse, 1000 The Green Mile in Burnet; 6:30 p.m. Feb. 4, Llano at Brownwood, 2100 Slayden St. in Brownwood
DISTRICT 8-3A STANDINGS:
Brownwood, 8-1
Liberty Hill, 8-1
Burnet, 5-4
Gatesville, 4-5
Lampasas, 2-7
Llano, 0-9