By Mike Ramczyk
BURLINGTON – A grateful smile came across her face, and a sweet wave to the fans was in order.
Not only were the Burlington High School parents and spectators on their feet cheering Tuesday night, but rival Waterford’s faithful did the same.
She, once again, is Burlington senior guard Jessa Burling, and this milestone thing is getting old already.
A mere 20 days after surpassing Catie Grandi as the high school’s all-time leading scorer, Burling scored 20 points in a 42-29 victory over rival Waterford to topple the 1,000-point plateau.
On the historic play, Burling executed a nifty spin move past two defenders at the 3-point line and proceeded to beat the double team to the hoop for a left-handed layup.
The feat was announced over the loud speakers, and a standing ovation from both sides of the sparsely-packed bleachers ensued. Burling walked to center court, where she smiled and waved.
Burlington improved to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Southern Lakes Conference.
Along with the 20 points, Burling added nine rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Jackie Garwood added nine points, and sophomore Amelia Crabtree tallied six points, six rebounds and six steals.
“In the first half Waterford did a really good job of containing our offense and pressuring us,” Burlington coach Mary Parker said. “We struggled getting the looks we wanted. In the second half we were able to use our defense to get some steals and easier looks on offense. We were then able to spread the game open and play more at our pace.”
The Demons held a commanding lead late, but an Annie Benavides triple cut the deficit to 37-28 with a few minutes to play.
But Burlington pulled away with free throws.
Burlington travels to Lake Geneva Badger for a 5:30 p.m. tilt Friday night, while the Wolverines (1-5, 0-3 SLC) travel to Elkhorn.
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