By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
Sometimes, a win is a win.
It may not have up-and-down scoring, long-range bombs or fancy passing, but it counts as a win nonetheless.
At this point in the season, the Burlington girls basketball team will take anything it can get.
Tuesday night’s home game against Union Grove may have been ugly at times, but the Lady Demons scratched and clawed their way to a 34-28 victory.
“We played the first half without any energy, and at halftime we challenged the girls to play with intensity and take over the game,” said Burlington coach Mary Parker. “We finally did at the end of the third quarter with a six-point run. We started to execute our offense more efficiently. Although it was not pretty at times, it was a much-needed victory.”
Burlington improved to 6-10 overall and 3-6 in the Southern Lakes Conference.
The win snapped a brief two-game losing streak for the Lady Demons. Burlington lost by only two points Friday at Elkhorn.
The next day, rival Waterford blew out Burlington, 54-28.
Ellen Stang led Burlington with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Ashley Derks added eight points, and Allie Aldrich had six.
Burlington returns home to host Badger (13-3, 6-1 SLC) Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Waterford 54, Burlington 28
Waterford won its second game in two nights with an impressive victory against Burlington.
Junior point guard Jenna Bouffiou led the way with 14 points, four assists and two steals, while Shauna Malchine added 10 to help the Wolverines cruise to victory.
“As a point guard, Jenna has to be an extension of the coach,” Waterford coach Dena Brechtl said. “She did a great job controlling the speed and tempo of the game for us.”
After enjoying a 29-15 halftime lead, the Wolverines blew the game open in the third quarter with a 14-2 run, thanks to its strong defense. Sophomore Ella Hunsucker led the defensive attack with seven deflections.
“Ella has shown defensive flashes this season,” Brechtl said. “She has definitely gotten to a point where she is comfortable.”
The Demons never had an answer from there and limped off its home court dominated by the Wolverines.
“We struggled offensively with handling their pressure and could not get anything going from early on,” Parker said. “We will keep working hard in practice and working out some of those issues. Give Waterford credit, they are a very good team and can go deep into their bench.”
Aldrich led the Demons with eight points.
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