Burnet girls hoops earns tourney wins
CAPTION: Burnet senior guard Sarah Cullison wrestles to keep possession of the ball during the Lady Dawgs’ contest against Lago Vista Dec. 2. Photos by Kaydence Burditt/In Color Photography
The Burnet High School girls basketball team earned two wins at the Little River Academy Tournament.
The Lady Dawgs defeated Caldwell 46-35 in the tournament opener Dec. 4 and Abilene Cooper 48-27 Dec. 5. They lost to Weimar 60-58 and Teague 41-38 to close out the tournament.
“We won two games, so that was good,” head coach Kim Payten said. “It boosted our morale a lot. I had some excited kids.”
The Caldwell coaches were frustrated throughout the contest, even pointing out to their players they were facing an opponent that hadn’t won a game all year. Needless to say, the Lady Dawgs heard that and used it as fuel.
“I thought we were better than Caldwell going into the game, but it was back and forth at the very beginning of the game,” Payten said. “And so I think we’ve been labeled as that we’re not very good. Our record doesn’t reflect how good we really are. Because I have kids that want to play, and they want to play for me and they want to make not me proud, but our school proud. And so I think that is more than skill or talent – they want to do well.”
She also believes the tournament offered favorable matchups for the Lady Dawgs.
“We were matched up with people on our level or a little bit above our level, not three stories above us (like in November),” Payten said. “That was one thing, but the main thing is that my kids don’t give up. We can be 40 points behind, and they’re playing hard the whole entire time. There’s not any quit in any of them.”
The Lady Dawgs had been building toward these outcomes since they enjoyed several days off during Thanksgiving week. They practiced Nov. 28, their first court appearance since losing to Lake Belton 88-22 Nov. 24.
“We had a lot of kids that were sick and they were playing through it, fighting through it,” the coach said. “We had small injuries — nothing that wouldn’t allow them to play — but just little injuries here and there, and I think the break did give them time to just be kids for a little bit and not work. And so I think that had a little bit to do with it, but I just really think that we’re starting to gel and come together.”
Payten believes the players used the break to re-energize both physically and mentally. It showed in the 43-39 loss to Lago Vista Dec. 2.
For many of the Lady Dawgs, this is their first year on the varsity and first season to play significant roles in the rotations. Payten, who is in her first year at Burnet, said the first several weeks of the season was about learning and adjusting – to a new scheme, to a new coach, and to opponents who may have more experience.
Seniors Peyton Allen and Wrigley Mulhollan are returning lettermen and this season they are taking on more than they have before.
“Yes, they did get some minutes, but they weren’t having to play the entire game, and so this is new for them, for our team as a whole,” Payten said. “And besides Wrigley and Peyton Allen, and of course Emma Hashbarger, which she’s back in spurts right now, there’s no other varsity experience. They got minutes, but it wasn’t a leading role, and so I think that they’re starting to gel and come into their own and they’re starting to just mesh as a team and that’s fun to watch.”
Burnet is competing in the Fredericksburg Tournament Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 11-13. The Lady Dawgs will face the host at 11 a.m. Thursday, Stephenville at 2:30 p.m. Friday, and Parker-Tarrant Home School at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Then they welcome Fredericksburg to The Doghouse at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Payten believes her players will continue to improve for one big reason.
“I just know that we’re moving in the right direction by leaps and bounds from where we started and I have kids that are giving me more than I could have ever asked for,” she said. “I’m just really proud of them. I’m proud of the way they performed this weekend, and I’m proud of the way my captains and my seniors stepped up. We won our first game after losing six and a lot of teams that I’ve coached in the past would have jumped up-and-down like they just won a national championship. My kids just were like, ‘Let’s go shake their hands.’ And then when we got in the locker room, they were like, ‘Thank goodness. We finally got a win and that’s out of the way. Now let’s play basketball.'”
CAPTION: Another newcomer to the Lady Dawgs who is contributing big is freshman guard Rowyn Mulhollan. Photos by Kaydence Burditt/In Color Photography
