Burnet boys basketball announces all-district members

CAPTION: When the Bulldogs needed a long-range shot, senior J.J. Whigham delivered. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

Several members of the Burnet High School boy basketball team were named All-District 24-4A by head coaches of each program in the district.

“Each of them took another step this year,” assistant coach Carter Carruthers said.

Named to the first team were seniors Jaxon Sparks and Eli Perkins, while seniors J.J. Whigham and Braven Briant and juniors Gavin Oakley and Ethan Elmore were named honorable mention.

Sparks, who was the starting point guard, took on all that came with that position, Carruthers said.

“Jackson took the leadership role of the team,” he said. “He was our captain and he took that on and at times really carried us in scoring. That was the big step for him, and we were so proud of that.”

Perkins was the definition of power forward – unafraid of going hard to the basket with the dribble or posting up on the low block to get shots and rebounds.

“Eli took another step just playing,” Carruthers said. “He really hadn’t played a lot of varsity basketball up until this year. To jump right in and have a lot of success doing it was really impressive. He took a step in realizing he’s a dude. He went and played a like a dude.”

Whigham was the long-range bomber for the Bulldogs, while Briant played anywhere he was needed.

“Really proud of them,” the coach said. “J.J. was the catch-and-shoot kid in the district. Then at the all-district meeting, he was properly voted on. With Braven, we obviously thought he deserved it. But we didn’t know maybe if he was going to get the votes. He showed he’s an all-district player. He’s one of those kids you cheer for because he’s such a good person and grinned so hard and continued to work. He earned all his success.”

He noted Oakley and Elmore also could perform numerous tasks for the Bulldogs on both ends. He called Oakley the “Swiss Army knife” of the team.

“He can score in different ways– really can catch and shoot it, can go to the basket, can cut to the basket, and then you can guard guards and bigger kids than him if he has to,” Carruthers said. “He does a lot for us.”

Elmore set up his teammates for success, a big contribution to the team’s success.

Named academic all-district are Hays Bennett, Cam Edwards, Carter Maxwell, Briant, Elmore, Oakley and Whigham.