SALEM, N.H. – Makayla Burns came into Friday night’s game averaging 5.9 points over the first seven games.
Just 3:14 into it, she surpassed that.
At the end of the first quarter, she nearly tripled it.
When the final buzzer went off, the junior guard finished with career high 26 points – falling 15 points shy of her 41 total points on the season.
Burns was red-hot in the early going. Her sharp shooting helped the Blue Devils (7-2) take an 18-point lead after the first, well on the way to the lopsided 74-39 victory over Keene, a team that was 5-1 coming in and riding a three-game winning streak.
Earlier in the season, Burns finished in double figures twice, with 13 against Londonderry her highest total.
Never did she imagine that she would double that – in one night!
“No,” she answered. “This is a lot of points.”
Throughout the season and over the past few years, Salem has been led by the trio of Lily George (16.1 ppg), Lindsay Goetz (14.1) and Ella Mosto (11.3). Burns was a nice complimentary piece to that puzzle with her five points.
Coach Ricky Oliver said instead of opposing teams worrying about the Big-3, now it’s the Big-4.
“We’ve been trying to get Makayla out in the perimeter and build her confidence,” said Oliver. “(In practice) she shoots with the guards. (In games) a lot of people don’t guard her and she’s wide open. I tell her if you are shooting like that, even if you’re missing shots, you’re changing the game because all five (defensive players) have to play somebody. The minute that they sag, and try to double team Lily George, or Lindsay Goetz or Ella Mosto and have two players on the ball, somebody’s got to be open (and lately) it’s been Makayla.”
She was open, but she had to execute. She did, burying nine shots on the night, including four three-pointers.
“My teammates did a good job knowing that I was the hot hand and that I was open,” said Burns, who also plays varsity soccer and lacrosse for Salem. “I appreciate that. I thought we did a better job tonight setting up our offense, passing to the open player and moving the ball around which helped us get more open looks.”
Before this outburst, Burns said that at times she has struggled with her confidence. Once she started hitting the first few, she said that confidence grew. Oliver is hoping that can carry on the rest of the season and into next year.
“It’s a breakout game for her. It’s a career high,” he said. “This game will give her a huge boost of confidence. This is a big, big step for her. She’s a captain this year as a junior, she’ll be a captain again next year and all of this is just helping to build her leadership.”
Salem 72, Keene 39Salem: Olivia DeFrancesco 1-1-3; Lily George 4-0-14, Amelia Murray 2-0-6, Lindsay Goetz 8-2-18, Nicole Ringdahl 1-0-2, Kyleigh Oliveri 1-0-2, Valery Nunez 1-0-2, Ella Musto 0-1-1, Makayla Burns 9-4-26. Totals: 26-8-72.
Keene: Maragatis 1-1-3, Zalaski 3-2-9, Nelson 7-7-21, Payne 0-3-3, Antosiewicz 1-0-2, Lounder 0-1-1. Totals: 12-14-39.
Halftime: Salem 43-17; 3-pointers: Salem, Burns 4, Murray 2, George 2; Keene, Zalaski.