By Ernie W. Webb III
DODGE CITY – “All Gas, No Brakes” has been Burlingame’s mantra all season. The Bearcats have lived it, pushing the pedal to the metal in a historic season that just keeps getting better.
Burlingame’s first appearance in a state girls basketball tournament became the school’s first trip to a semifinal on Thursday night, as the Bearcats knocked off third-seeded Little River 45-39. With the win, they’ll play traditional power and second-ranked Centralia (24-0) in the Class 1A Division I tourney at 8 p.m. Friday.
“It feels good. We all worked so hard for this,” said sophomore forward Kaylin Noonan, who had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. “We knew we had something to prove, and we did what we had to do.”
Burlingame (21-2) lost 43-29 to the Redskins (22-2) in January, but starting point guard Daelyn Winters didn’t play in that game due to a knee injury. Playing the rematch at full strength and with a chip on their shoulder from the get-go, the Bearcats looked like anything but a team playing in the state tournament for the first time.
Burlingame got off to a fast start behind junior Gracie Simmons, who buried a 3-pointer less than two minutes in and added a short jumper to give the Bearcats a 7-2 edge three minutes into the game.
“I thought Gracie Simmons was the key to us getting settled in early,” said Burlingame coach Jeff Slater, who also celebrated his birthday Thursday. “One of the keys to the game was we needed all five players to be a threat, and we got that tonight.”
Simmons, Isabella Tyson and Kenna Masters typically defer to the high-scoring Noonan and Winters, but the trio combined for 20 points, including several timely shots. Tyson hit a 3-pointer a minute into the third quarter to tie the score at 26, and Simmons followed with a trey 20 seconds later for a three-point lead. Burlingame never trailed again.
The game was tight the entire second half, and Little River pulled even at 35-35 on an eight-footer by Amaya Sneath late in the third quarter. However, Winters, who had 12 points and five steals, drained a 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer to give Burlingame a 38-35 lead.
“I think it all goes hand-in-hand, the more experience you have in big games,” Slater said of his team’s ability to handle the big stage. “These girls have been in big games in multiple sports. This is something the girls collectively have worked on all their lives. They’ve been preparing for these moments.”
Playing in their 17th state tournament, the Redskins pushed the Bearcats to the limit in the fourth period, pulling within 41-38 on a three from Lilyan Boughfman with 3:33 remaining and 42-39 on a free throw from Elsie Boughfman at the 2:44 mark.
The Bearcats, who were 17 of 29 at the foul line, made just enough free throws to advance, including one from Winters with a minute left and a pair from Tyson with 21 seconds remaining.
Burlingame rebounded from a sluggish stretch spanning the first and second quarters during which Little River went on a 24-12 run. The Redskins led 26-19 with 40 seconds left in the half before Noonan and Masters hit two free throws each to trim the deficit to three. The Bearcats extended the spurt to 11-0 in the third quarter with seven unanswered points to start the second half.
“We figured out what we were struggling with and made the adjustment,” Noonan said. “Then, we started hitting more shots and settled in.”
The Bearcats also thrived on defense, limiting Lilyan Boughfman to 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting. The 6-foot-2 senior dominated this season, but struggled mightily against Burlingame, which swarmed her every time she caught the ball near the lane.
“The team defense was phenomenal. We wanted to blitz (Bloughfman) every time she got the ball and get some extra pressure on the post,” Slater said. “She never looked comfortable. Even when Kaylin went out (with her fourth foul late in the third quarter), Alexandra Crook came in and the defense didn’t drop off. We just got great effort across the board.”
Few expected Burlingame to advance this far, and the team is well aware that few except them to win against a Centralia team that competes in state tournaments as often as people brush their teeth.
“You know, it’s good to be the underdog,” Noonan said. “We’ll be ready.”
In addition to Noonan’s 13 points and Winters’ 12, Simmons had 10 and Tyson and Masters 5 each. Lilyan Bloughfman had 11 points and Aubrey Olander 5 points and 11 rebounds for Little River.
BURLINGAME 45, LITTLE RIVER 39
Burlingame 9 14 15 7 — 45
Little River 11 15 9 4 — 39
BURLINGAME (21-2): Kaylin Nooan 2-8 9-14 13, Daelyn Winters 3-10 4-10 12, Gracie Simmons 4-11 0-0 10, Kenna Masters 1-2 2-3 5, Isabella Tyson 1-1 2-2 5, Alexandra Crook 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 11-33 17-29 45.
LITTLE RIVER (22-2): Lilyan Boughfman 5-15 0-0 11, Alaina Eck 2-6 0-0 6, Elsie Boughfman 2-5 1-3 6, Aubrey Olander 2-6 1-4 5, Amaya Sneath 2-4 0-0 4, RaeLynn Welsh 1-1 2-2 4, Ashley Stephenson 1-10 0-0 3, Kathleen Ellwood 0-2 0-0 0, Mekenzie Renken 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 15-50 4-9 39.
3-point goals: Burlingame 6-17 (Winters 2-7, Simmons 2-7, Masters 1-2, Tyson 1-1); Little River 5-17 (Eck 2-3, Stephenson 1-5, L. Bloughfman 1-4, E. Bloughfman 1-2, Sneath 0-1, Ellwood 0-1, Renken 0-1). Rebounds – Burlingame 25 (Noonan 10, Tyson 7); Little River 28 (Olander 11, E. Bloughfman 6). Turnovers – Burlingame 10, Little River 14.