Burnet girls basketball participates in summer league

CAPTION: Gabby De Arcos (left) and Gabby Robson play tough defense to force a tough shot. Staff photos by Jennifer Fierro

Members of the Burnet High School girls basketball program will play in its final night of the Granger Summer League Tuesday, June 23.

The Lady Dawgs will face Granger at 5 p.m. and Bartlett at 6 p.m. both at the Lions Den Gym on the Granger Secondary School campus.

This is the fourth week the Lady Dawgs traveled to compete in two games per night.

“It’s been a blessing,” Burnet head coach Kim Payten said. “The parents are a blessing.”

Granger is about an hour drive, and the coach noted other leagues may have been closer but didn’t offer what she believed her players needed most.

“I just wanted the kids to have some success,” she said. “And I thought it was very important to start off with that. And we’ll teach them how to win and let that feeling be contagious. We haven’t won every game, but we’ve competed in every game.”

She noted that during summer league play a year ago, the Lady Dawgs didn’t win a contest. This summer, they’ve won two and have kept other games close.

The Burnet girls athletic department is competing in two other summer leagues that are both on Tuesdays — soccer and softball — where coaches are sharing their athletes to ensure they get the reps and feel they’re improving in their activities.

That may be one reason why the Lady Dawgs are displaying a couple of traits that stand out to Payten – commitment and hunger.

“They want to get better,” she said. “They’re soaking up all the information.”

She also credits Burnet summer league coach Brandon Collins, her son, for being on the sideline with the Lady Dawgs.

“And so there’s no doubt they’re getting the same information pushed to them,” Payten said. “They’re hearing the same vocabulary, the same things that I teach. That has been a huge, huge blessing in itself.”

She has been especially pleased with the class of 2030.

“They’ve shown me some grit and determination,” the coach said.

Sophomore point guard Rowan Mulhollan is stepping into the leadership role older sister Wrigley has vacated since she graduated. Payten also believes that last season also helped junior long-distance sharp shooter Maycee Floyd get better.

“I think we’re just gonna keep it moving,” Payten said. “I’m so pleased with the group of girls that I have.”

Burnet is projecting to have freshman, junior varsity and varsity squads for the 2026-27 school year. Jarrell is the only other District 25-4A member that will have a freshman team, Payten said.

“It’s hard to find a lot of (programs) that have three teams that compete on our level, and so I’m concerned about that in the season,” she said.

The reason is because players get better through reps and the reward is playing in a game.

“You only play one team in your (district) season, that’s pretty boring to practice all that time for one game,” the coach said. “And so we’re trying to get creative right now and trying to figure (it) out. Cause it’s hard to grow a program when you don’t have that, you can’t find people to play freshmen or else drive for two hours on a school night to play somebody, and so it’s been difficult. We’re trying to get creative.”

CAPTION: Ava Floyd forces the ball handler to pick up the ball and look for an open teammate.