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Lady Lion tops 1,000 points
SENATH-HORNERSVILLE, Mo. - Jada Burlison once thought she knew basketball.
Now, she's sure.
The 18-year-old Senath-Hornersville High School Lady Lion proved that to both herself and a raucous fan base Tuesday, Feb. 13, when an every-day, one-on-one layup became point 1,001.
“I had to score four,” a modest Burlison said. “I ended up getting 20.
“We were playing Advance,” she added. “We won that game 66-50.”
That wonderful, 1,000-point mark might have passed by Burlison, who at the time thought she understood the game's finer points, its intricacies, but who might have come away feeling disillusioned and frustrated by the sport.
Enter Senath-Hornersville Lady Lions head coach Nicki Pierce.
Without the encouragement and teaching skills she attributed to Pierce, Burlison might have ignored her own skill set and denied her own value on the court.
“Playing under Coach Pierce has honestly changed my perspective on basketball,” Burlison said Thursday. “If it wasn't for her coming over and coaching us, I doubt I would have stuck with it.
“She taught me to love not only the game,” she continued. “She taught me to appreciate each and every game, individually. Every game matters. And you're going to get something out of each one, no matter if you win or lose.”
Some might call those lessons in life.
Pierce recognized the need, discovered how to communicate with Burlison through the sport and went to work bringing her along. The coach set out to guide No. 21, and did so for the next half-decade.
Now, Pierce calls Burlison “one of the most hard-working kids that we've ever had come through” the Lady Lions' program.
“Jada is 100 percent a leader,” Pierce said. “She is one of our captains.
“But that's not just a title to her,” the coach added. “All of her actions actually demonstrate the fact that she is a captain. She's the first one to finish sprints. She's the first one to show any enthusiasm for any of our drills. Every practice. She gives me the same effort every day. Even if she's sick or tired. It doesn't matter. So yes. She leads by example every day she steps into this.”
This great achievement was replete with great anxiety, which waned as the senior guard approached it with eyes wide open and fears cast aside.
“I was a little nervous because I found out a few games before that I was getting pretty close,” Burlison admitted. “Like, I was a little nervous for the past two games.”
Even more than a little, seeing as how the stands were alive with fans on the wait for that one glorious bucket.
“The student section was packed with a bunch of my friends and all of my family was there, too,” Burlison recalled. “'That meant a lot to me.”
And though she wasn't cognizant of it then, that was the perfect time to gift her people.
“I really wasn't sure of that shot when I went up for it,” Burlison said. “I had hit a three, so I just needed one point to get there.
“I was trying to get a layup, and I just couldn't get lucky with one,” she explained. “The ball kinda bounced around, then it went in.”
And that was just the beginning of her game Tuesday. Burlison went on to score 15 more.
She's as grateful as she is pleased.
“I want to thank all my teammates,” she said. “I want to thank my coach and my friends.
“I want to thank them all for being the greatest support system anyone could hope for.”