By Ernie W. Webb III
Most teams that play Olpe before the state tournament wilt early and are buried by the well-oiled, fundamental program that longtime coach Jesse Nelson has built. If nothing else, Burlingame didn’t wilt after an early Eagles barrage.
Unfortunately for the Bearcats, it wasn’t enough in Saturday’s Class 1A Division I sub-state championship game at Madison. Burlingame weathered an early storm, but a seasoned Olpe team cruised to yet another state tournament with a 49-33 win.
“Even after a loss, this game is a program-builder,” said Burlingame coach Jeff Slater, whose team finished 20-3 during his first year the helm. “Next year, we want to get back to this game and take the next step. Our girls earned Olpe’s respect today, and I’m very proud of them.”
Olpe (21-0) blitzed Burlingame at the outset, scoring the game’s first 13 points. The Bearcats committed eight turnovers in the opening quarter and didn’t score until the 2:22 mark on Kaylin Noonan’s put-back. Olpe led 15-4 after a dominant first period.
The Bearcats found their footing in the second quarter, using a 9-4 spurt to cut a double-digit deficit to 23-17. Megan Giffin capped the run with a 3-pointer from the right wing.
Burlingame got as close as five early in the second half on Noonan’s basket 20 seconds in the third quarter, but Olpe reeled off a 15-1 run to build a commanding 40-21 advantage. During the decisive stretch, Macy Smith, Marley Heins and Hattie Fisher hit 3-pointers.
Giffin hit a trey to end a four-minute drought for Burlingame, but the Bearcats got no closer than 13 the rest of the way.
“Overall, there are no complaints on the season,” Slater said. “Two of our three losses are to Olpe and one to a ranked Lebo team. This has been an unreal experience for me as a coach, coaching these girls, having my daughter around at practice every day. It was so much more than coaching and winning basketball games.”
The game was the final one for Burlingame seniors Giffin, Emily Punches, Kate Thompson and Katie Shaffer, all of whom had a hand in building a solid foundation for a long-suffering program.
“I couldn’t have taken over for a better group of seniors,” Slater said. “Emmy Punches and Megan Giffin both will find themselves on several top five lists for school records. Katie Shaffer took ownership in her role and improved so much through the year and was a great leader. I thank all three of them and Kate Thompson for a great season. They constantly got better and kept improving.”
The Bearcats return several key underclassmen next year, including junior Daelyn Winters, sophomore Gracie Simmons and freshman Noonan.
OLPE 49, BURLINGAME 33
Burlingame 4 14 9 7 — 33
Olpe 15 10 15 9 — 49
Burlingame (20-3): Kaylin Noonan 6-11 3-5 15, Megan Giffin 5-8 0-0 12, Daelyn Winters 1-7 2-2 5, Katie Shaffer 0-0 1-4 1, Emily Punches 0-5 0-2 0, Gracie Simmons 0-4 0-1 0, Brooke Lewis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 12-37 6-14 33.
Olpe (21-0): Maya Bishop 6-12 1-2 13, Macy Smith 4-10 3-5 12, Lauryn Broyles 4-4 0-0 8, Marley Heins 3-6 0-0 7, Hattie Fisher 2-9 0-0 6, Camille Steffes 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 20-52 4-7 49.
Three-pointers: Burlingame 3-15 (Giffin 2-4, Winters 1-5, Punches 0-4, Simmons 0-1, Lewis 0-1); Olpe 5-13 (Fisher 2-7, Smith 1-2, Heins 1-1, Steffes 1-1, Bishop 0-2). Rebounds: Burlingame 19 (Noonan 7); Olpe 19 (Broyles 4).