Liberty Union's Burris takes game to another level
BALTIMORE – Liberty Union's Gabby Burris burst onto the scene as a freshman, averaging an impressive 18.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 53 percent from the field.
However, a knee injury late in the season forced Burris to miss the Lions tournament run that saw them reach the Division III district finals.
This season, Burris seemed even more determined and she was even more of an impact than she was as first-year player in 2014.
The 5-foot-11 sophomore sensation was at her best in the Lions' biggest games. Healthy the whole season, Burris was a big reason Liberty Union not only made it back to the district finals, but she helped lead them to their first title since 1994.
Burris averaged 21.3 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. She shot 57 percent from the field and made 76 percent of her free throws.
For those reasons, Burris is the 2015 Eagle-Gazette Girls Player of the Year.
"She deserves everything she gets because of how hard she works," Liberty Union coach Adam Twiss said. "She has continued to grow as a player and develop her game. The scary part is she has a lot of room for improvement, and that is an exciting thing."
"She expanded her game this year and wasn't just a down-low type of player. She was excellent with the ball in her hands and facing the basket."
Burris — who was also selected first team All-Ohio and the Central District and District 11 player of the year — scored a career-high 32 points and had 21 rebounds late in the season against Danville. She scored 21 in the second half, including 16 in the fourth quarter against the Blue Devils.
In a district semifinal final win over Madison Plains, Burris scored 30 points and had 13 rebounds, even though she only played three quarters.
"Playing AAU against really good competition has really helped me and shaped me into the player I am today," Burris said. "There is so much talent and you learn so many new things and I tried to incorporate that into my game.
"I knew after having success as a freshman that I would have to find different ways to score. I knew it would be harder this season because teams would be keying even more on me."
Burris was quick to point out that her teammates played a huge part in her success. The fact the Lions had other players like Blake and Landen Collins shooting from the perimeter and senior Madi Foltz a threat anywhere on the floor, didn't allow teams to put all their attention on Burris.
"It says a lot about our team and the success we had," Twiss said. "Obviously, teams were going to put their focus on Gabby, but we had other weapons, and Gabby understands that she can't do what she does without the help of her teammates."
Even though Burris took her game to another level, she knows there is room for improvement. She is not about to rest on her laurels and she continues to work every day on her game.
"I know that I need to continue to expand my game," Burris said. "I'm really trying to shoot the ball better from the outside and continue to work on my ball handling.
"I also need to get better, defensively, but playing against really good AAU players and defending some of the best players around will help me on that side of the ball."
Missing the entire tournament as a freshman has also forced Burris to play every game as hard as she can and not take anything for granted as she moves forward in her career.
"As soon as I was told I had to sit out during last year's tournament, it was heartbreaking because I love playing the game," said Burris, who has scored 953 career points, despite missing six games because of injuries. "As soon as you experience something taking you out of the game, you realize how much you miss it. It just makes you want to go as hard as you can every time you step onto the court."
twilson@lancastereaglegazette.com
740-681-4358
Twitter: @twil2323
ALL-AREA TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
GABBY BURRIS, Liberty Union, Soph., F
Of note: 21.2 points per game, 13.8 rebounds per game
LEAH CUSTER, Fairfield Christian, Sr. G
Of note: 20.2 ppg., 4.6 apg.
COURTNEY BERNARD, Fairfield Union, Sr., F
Of note: 17.5 ppg., 12.1 rpg.
LAUREN SHEPHARD, Berne Union, Jr., F
Of note: 11.1 ppg., 7.9 rpg.
BLAKE COLLINS, Liberty Union, Sr., G
Of note: 11.0 ppg., 5.0 rpg.
SECOND TEAM
REILLY HENNESSY, Lancaster, sr., F
BETHANY WINKLER, Bloom-Carroll, Sr. G
MADISON ROSS, Berne Union, Jr., G
MADI FOLTZ, Liberty Union, Sr., G
SAVANNA MCCRADY, Fairfield Union, Sr., G
HONORABLE MENTION
Landen Collins, Liberty Union; Rylee Snoke, Berne Union; Erica Campbell, Lancaster; Ruthie Johnson, Fairfield Christian; Kennedi Christie, Fisher Catholic; Kyra Young, Millersport; Alexis Burchfield, Bloom-Carroll; Maddie Snider, Amanda-Clearcreek.