Burnet girls basketball continues learning
CAPTION: Burnet freshman point guard Rowyn Mulhollan is learning how to play her position on the varsity level as sister, senior post Wrigley Mulhollan (10) is one of three lettermen who provide leadership and confidence. Photos by Kaydence Burditt/In Color Photography
The Burnet High School girls basketball team showed many positives as it ended its first month under new head coach Kim Payten.
That’s according to Payten herself, who pinpointed several traits of this team she is thankful for during the holiday week.
One are the hurdles from the schedule that is challenging the Lady Dawgs to raise their individual games. This team has a mix of three returning lettermen — seniors Peyton Allen and Wrigley Mulhollan and sophomore Emma Hashbarger — plus a slew of newcomers who are learning what it takes to succeed at the varsity level.
The newcomers are seniors Sarah Cullison, Kalani Marks, Josephine McDavid, Lezlee Rhodes and Landri Painter-Lewis junior Haylie McIntyre, sophomores Alexa Arevalo and Maycee Floyd and freshmen Rowyn Mulhollan and Marisa Porter.
“I think the young ones are realizing what it’s gonna take – the toughness,” Payten said. “We’re getting some toughness out of it, we’re learning how to finish. Making buckets has been a struggle. I have freshmen, and it’s just been a struggle for them — the physicality of the game for them — to just make a bucket and finish, and they’re just kind of getting the ball taken from them. So I thought in our game against Hutto, we met some of those challenges. We made more buckets than we’ve made in any other game. And so we’re kind of just taking it one bite at a time, trying to figure it out.”
Rowyn Mulhollan has been at point guard, which already is a challenging position because that player must set up the offense and the defense while moving her teammates to various spots on the floor. That position also has the direct line to the coach for plays and what they are each seeing.
“She makes a lot of mistakes, a lot of freshman type mistakes, but I’m gonna tell you that she gets after it,” Payten said. “And I wouldn’t change her position for anybody in the world, because she’s coachable and she’s just a good kid.”
The other freshman, Porter, recently joined the team after her commitment to volleyball ended Oct. 31.
Those improvements simply reaffirm to Payten that the Lady Dawgs have the roster to compete.
“They earned their spot 100 percent,” she said. “They earned their spot because they have a little dog inside of them, they’ve got a fight inside of them, and they came in not scared. They didn’t care if you were a senior or a freshman, they were just gonna play basketball and that’s what I wanted to see. They’re just not scared of anything. It’s really kind of intimidating. If you’re 13 or 14 years old going up against a 16 or 17 and sometimes an 18-year-old kid, they haven’t backed down, and we’ve played tough teams this far.”
Burnet was limited in personnel during losses to Hutto 72-31 Nov. 22 and Copperas Cove 71-18 Nov. 18.
“I’m not discouraged because I have Wrigley Mulhollan,” the coach said. “She had a double-double, and I think she may have had a triple-double. She’s been the bright light in all of this. And she is rallying the troops, her and Peyton Allen and Maycee Floyd. They just give me good minutes. I see it looks like we’re just getting the dog beat out of us. But in the Hutto game, things are coming together. And I think we’re going to blossom at the right time. I’m not at all discouraged. I am, in fact, hopeful, because I saw I see so many good things as we work. I think we’ll bloom at just the right time.”
The Lady Dawgs welcome Lake Belton Monday, Nov. 24, with the subvarities playing at 12:30 p.m. and the varsity at 2 p.m., break for Thanksgiving, then welcome Lago Vista Tuesday, Dec. 2, in a doubleheader with the Bulldogs. The junior varsity plays at 5 p.m. and the varsity at 6:30 p.m.
