Burnet boys basketball beats Brownwood
CAPTION: Playing tough defense is a requirement for the Bulldogs. Just ask junior guard Cam Edwards (3), senior power forward Eli Pickens and senior guard Jaxon Sparks. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Burnet High School boys basketball team defeated Brownwood 60-42 Dec. 16 and lost to Wimberley 71-43 Dec. 19 before parting to enjoy the Christmas holiday.
Wimberley took a 15-10 lead after the first quarter and built a 40-27 advantage by halftime.
Assistant coach Carter Carruthers said the message from head coach Juston Weldon was to “chip away in the third quarter to give yourselves a chance in the fourth.”
The Bulldogs did just that and cut it to an eight-point deficit when Burnet was fouled with 20 seconds remaining. But both free throws were missed. The Texans rebounded and began their transition offense.
“We fouled the guy,” Carruthers said. “He splits the free throws; he makes the first, misses the second to make it an 11-point game. And then gets his own rebound and lays it up to make it 13 again. And that moment kind of sucked the energy out of us. We played really, really hard for 95 percent of that third quarter to give ourselves a chance in the fourth.”
The Texan who was fouled and scored on his own putback was senior Paul Gumbert-Mendoza, who will play basketball for St. Edward’s University. He scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had four assists, four steals and a block. But the Bulldogs held Gumbert-Mendoza to six points through three periods thanks to junior small forward Gavin Oakley.
“Gavin played hard, denying him the ball and doing a really good job,” Carruthers said. “(Gumbert-Mendoza) is a heck of a player, and we kept him in check for three quarters. But after he got that rebound, I guess it kind of set a fire inside of him and he put it to us in the fourth.”
His performance also allowed junior Nathan Baker to contribute 22 points, grab five rebounds and get four steals and senior Holden Crawford contributed 12 points and had four rebounds, three steals and an assist.
“Baker was a stud,” the coach said. “He could step out and shoot the 3-pointer. The scouting report on him was he’s going to run in transition, and he did.”
The coach noted the Texans took advantage of some Burnet defensive breakdowns and turned turnovers into points in the second quarter. But the Bulldogs changed that in the third quarter with more defensive intensity and fewer turnovers.
“Credit to Wimberley,” he said. “They are a very talented team. They have Mendoza, who’s the head of their snake. He’s a great talent. But then Baker can shoot it. They’re good.”
The trip to Brownwood was more than pleasant as the Bulldogs handled an athletic Lions team with ease.
“We were ready to go from the start of the game,” Carruthers said. “We were kind of worried about the long trip on a bus over there with a lot of sitting. It was during finals week, too. We were worried our kids might be a little lethargic. But no, we got out there and took advantage of that game early.”
Indeed. Burnet scored 22 points in the opening stanza and weren’t seriously threatened.
“We gave ourselves a really good lead there in the first and then got to play with that the rest of the game,” the coach said. “We defended pretty well and rebounded really well. We didn’t really give them a chance at second possessions. We did a good job in that game of rebounding. That was the big thing. I don’t want to say it arrogantly, but we dominated the game from the jump, and so our kids just played really, really well and really hard from the start of the game.”
He credits Oakley for the hot start, who hit 3-pointers to send a message.
“He came out on fire,” Carruthers said. “He really lit it up to start and gave us the opportunity to play with that lead.”
Coaches remain pleased with senior power forward Eli Pickens’ performances. One adjustment being made is his placement in the offensive sets to begin each game. He is near the lane and working his way toward high-percentage shots and will then move to the outside to draw the defense away from the basket.
“We let his inside game impact his outside damage, so early in the games when he’s doing that, and he’s a force down there,” Carruthers said. “The attention he gets gives opportunities for our guys outside like Gavin and J.J. Whigham and Cam Edwards off the bench. They can shoot it real well — all three of them are good shooters — they probably get cleaner looks just because Eli gets a lot of eyes. There’s going to be six eyes on Eli at all times usually, so yeah, it’s pretty good for them.”
The Bulldogs will compete in the Hawks Christmas Basketball Tournament hosted by Hays Consolidated Monday-Tuesday, Dec. 29-30, then head to Marble Falls Friday, Jan. 2, for the District 24-4A opener. The subvarsities play at 11 a.m. and the varsity takes the court at 12:30 p.m.
CAPTION: Burnet junior guard Cam Edwards is contributing on both ends of the floor. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
