Burns High School - Blazes Yearbook (Lawndale, NC)

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Senior George Young “shoots for two” as North Gaston opponents unsuccessfully try to defend. i ia | WRK : Check the form, is it Mike O’Koren? No, it’s senior Eric Gettys (24) in warm-up before the Burns-North Gaston game. Junior Bernard Brooks puts the ball through the hoop for two. “Slam dunk, do the bump, let me see your body work,” were the cheers when senior, John Brooks (38) surprised his North Gaston opponent with a slam dunk. 58 Basketball

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ALMOST MADE IT If you have ever been to a ballgame you will know you're in Bulldog Country by cheering, yelling, clapping, and screaming of the loyal Bulldog fans. Twice during the season Burns nipped Crest by a single point. In the final moments of the second game Crest had possession while trailing by just one point. Burns forced jump ball situation twice and Crest was denied. The score was tied at 57 when Hunt shot a free throw with :21 left for the deciding point. The sheer intensity of the Burns-R.S. Central game was overwhelming. The Bulldogs pressed the undefeated Hilltoppers to the limit before losing 54-47. The contest had the elements of a classic struggle. Burns, a small, quick team against R.S. Central a tall, talented bunch of guys. Burns almost pulled an upset in the second half over R.S. height advantage. Burns was behind by eight points, but Rayfert Wright's last second shot cut it to 34-30 at the half. The Bulldogs held down the powerful Hilltoppers in the third quarter, limiting R.S. to four points and taking a 41-38 lead in the final period. In the fourth quarter Burns went into a stall offense and threw away three Boys Varsity BOTTOM ROW: John Brooks, Calvin Hunt, Rayfert Wright, Maurice Campbell, Kenneth Byrd, Bernard Brooks. TOP ROW: Coach Jim Atkinson, Joel Hopper, Douglas passes to fall into the hands of R:S. Central. R.S. then regained the lead causing Burns to lose the ballgame. The Burns-Crest game was a hot game from the start; with Burns making 9-17 shots in the first quarter for a 20-15 advantage. Edwin Hopper, a 6-2 junior, the player who’s supposed to get in there and liven things up, supplied 12 points and 19 rebounds for the Bulldogs to take the lead in the ballgame. Coach George Hall, remarked, ‘’Hopper just sparked us and was fantastic.” The Bulldogs played a fast-paced game against South Point. John Brooks, senior, was leading scorer, with 25 points. He led the Bulldogs to a 13 point advantage, scoring fourteen points in the second period. The Raiders went to a box-and-one defense against Brooks and the Bulldogs slowed the temps. For the first time in the history of Burns High School both the boys and the girls basketball teams were in the finals of the Southwest Conference Tournament. The Hilltoppers third win over the Bulidogs came easier than the past two. The key to R-S Central’s nine point halftime edge was their board strength. The difference never got Simmons, Darryl Robbs, Darryl Smith, Edward Hopper, Eric Gettys, George Young, Mike Walker, Melvin Clark, Coach George Hall. below 10 in the second half. Both teams played aggressive defense, with 21 turnovers by the Hilltoppers and 19 by the Bulldogs attest. Burns’ trouble came on offense. Coach Hall said, ‘’We didn’t have any patience on offense. We got some good shots, but we didn’t hit them and it killed us.” This loss placed the Burns Bulldogs 2nd in the Conference. The District VII Championship started off with Burns playing East Rutherford. A key ingredient to Burns has been depth. Coach George Hall shuffled players in and out and it really paid off against East Rutherford. ‘Darryl Robbs (junior) played his best game of the year. He really hustled and gave 100 percent,’’ remarked Coach Hall. Burns trailed 23-20 in the second period before shooting 5 straight baskets, to build a 38-29 halftime lead. The Bulldogs pushed the lead into double figures in the second half. Luckily for Burns, three East players drew their 5th foul and Burns made 10 free throws in the quarter to win. The top-ranked team in North Carolina, the un-beaten R-S Hilltoppers had quite a game against the Burns Bulldogs. Burns built a seven-point lead in the second period, thanks to senior John Brooks outside shooting and the performance of the Bulldogs on the boards. R.S. tied the score early in the third period and the teams fought neck-and-neck the rest of the way. The lead was traded several times in the fourth period. Rayfert Wright, senior, shot from the corner to give Burns the lead, 50-49 with 4:09 remaining. With three minutes left in the game, the score was tied at 50. But a R.S. player hit two free throws leaving the score 52-50. With 14 seconds left, senior, John Brooks shot to cut the deficit to 54-52, this being the final score. Burns ended the year 20-6 but failed to earn a return trip to the state tournament. The loss to R.S. Central placed Burns 2nd in the District VII Championship! Basketball 59