Burling shut down, Crabtree, Anderson miss game
By Mike Ramczyk
The constant war between club and high school sports damages relationships, both on and off the court.
While intentions are mostly good, the push and pull from coaches, pressuring athletes to choose one over the other in the name of specialization and potential playing time, sometimes has detrimental effects.
Club drama reared its ugly head again Tuesday night, and while it can’t be blamed for the Burlington girls basketball team losing out on a rare opportunity at a conference title, it certainly is something that will cause parents and fans to shake their heads in disgust, at least until the playoffs get here.
With key players Cora Anderson and Amelia Crabtree gone due to club soccer obligations, the short-handed Demons came out flat at Westosha Central and eventually lost, 41-40, on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer with 2 seconds left.
The stunning defeat snapped Burlington’s five-game win streak and gave Union Grove its fourth consecutive conference championship.
While the absence of two players isn’t an excuse for poor performance, it’s worth noting Burlington was without Anderson and Crabtree in losses to Wilmot and now Westosha, while the team was at full strength in its loss at Union Grove.
Grove (11-1 SLC) lost at Burlington (10-3) just two weeks ago, when the team had all hands on deck.
Anderson, an Iowa State University soccer recruit and post presence on the court, and Crabtree, a high-energy spark plug that can shut girls down defensively and run the offense, could also miss Thursday’s home finale.
Playoff seeds were released over the weekend, with Burlington getting a No. 3 in the same bracket as No. 2 Union Grove.
Burling suffers rare sub-par game
While only a share of the SLC crown was most likely possible even if the Demons won Tuesday, the short-handed squad showed its shortcomings.
The Lady Falcons were able to focus on shutting down Burlington star Jessa Burling, who was held to a season-low five points on 2-for-4 shooting.
However, Burlington found a way to still shoot 46 percent from the floor, led by a season-high 15 points from senior Holly Johnson.
Johnson also hit the boards for nine rebounds.
Up one point with second remaining, Westosha’s Stephanie Dopuch buried a triple to win the game, with two ticks left.
The free throw line absolutely killed the Demons, as only three of 13 shots went through the net.
“We missed too many free throws down the stretch,” Burlington coach Mary Parker said. “We had chances to take control of the game and we could not get stops on defense when we needed to. Westosha played with a lot of energy tonight, and we just did not match it on defense.”
Caitlyn Matson added nine points, and Jaclyn Garwood chipped in seven.
There is still plenty of time for Burlington to right the ship and regain the chemistry it built from its .
The Demons (14-7) host Delavan-Darien Thursday before opening the WIAA Division 2 postseason next Friday, Feb. 23 at home against the Delavan/Waterford winner.
Westosha Central boys 65, Burlington 51
The two-time defending SLC champion Falcons were only up 22-19 at halftime Tuesday in Burlington, but thanks to a big game from junior Jaeden Zackery and an overall balanced team effort.
Zackery scored 17 points to lead four Falcons in double figures, and while Burlington knocked down six triples, it couldn’t stop Westosha in the second half, where the Falcons outscored the host team, 43-32.
The Demons welcomed back Dylan Runkel from an ankle injury, and he contributed six rebounds. Brock Halbach led the Demons with 10 rebounds, but Westosha’s quickness was too much.
Grant Tully led Burlington with 12 points, and Nick Webley and Sean Safar each added nine.
Safar and Ben McDermit both knocked down two 3-pointers.
It was the third straight loss and sixth in the last seven games for the Demons (9-10), who are in jeopardy of starting the postseason on the road Feb. 27.
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