Central Bucks West senior Maddie Burke reached the 1,000-point milestone in Friday’s 56-39 win over Central Bucks East. Photos provided courtesy of Marge Bullock: http://www.margebullock.com
Playing to win.
That was Maddie Burke’s only concern heading into Friday night’s SOL opener against archrival Central Bucks East. The fact that the she was 16 points shy of the coveted 1,000-point milestone was the very least of her concerns.
“I knew I had 16 left going into it, but I knew we would just play to win the game, not for me to get a thousand,” the Central Bucks West senior said. “Just play to win, see what happens. Whatever happens happens. I’ll either get it this game or the next game. We just want to win. That was the main goal.”
So with the final seconds ticking off the scoreboard clock of West’s 56-39 win, Burke was puzzled by the definitive instructions of teammate Emily Spratt.
“I literally screamed in her face ‘Shoot the ball,’” Spratt said.
Burke heeded her teammate’s mandate, taking Spratt’s inbound pass from under the basket, raising up for one of her trademark three-pointers and hitting nothing but net. As time expired, Burke was mobbed by her jubilant teammates, and the West student section – packing the bleachers under West’s basket – chanted her name.
No one was more surprised than Burke.
“Before I shot the last shot, Emily came up to me and was like, ‘Just shoot it,’” the all-state senior said. “I didn’t know if it was a two or three. I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll shoot it,’ and they were like, ‘That’s a thousand.’
“It was at the buzzer. I didn’t know. My teammates set up the play for me and got me open, and I got a decent shot off. It was all my teammates.”
And in those comments, Burke – who is regularly the focal point of opposing defenses - gives a window into her mindset when she takes the court.
“Some of the girls knew – Maddie did not,” West coach Zach Sibel said. “That shows the character of her – just playing to win the game. A player like Maddie wants to win, and that’s what makes this team so much better.
“We didn’t say anything. We were aware of it going into the season, but it is a weight off her shoulders. I think it will let her play a little more free. By the same token, she didn’t say a word about it. We told her to be patient and keep going, and her energy level never dropped. Every rep in practice, every rep in that game – she kept it at a high level.
“Maddie makes everybody around her better. Her drive and commitment raises the level of energy and the level of commitment of the other players as well. She is just a natural leader.”
Getting the win over East was far more important to Burke than attaining a personal milestone, and the Penn State-bound senior is looking for good things from her team this season.
“We’re coming together as a team, we’re playing well together, and it’s getting better and better I think,” she said. “We really pick each other up.”
For Burke’s first-year coach, it’s already been an incredible journey.
“It’s unbelievable,” Sibel said. “As an English teacher, I don’t have words to explain it. I’m so incredibly proud of everyone on this team and of Maddie and her accomplishment - to be able to be a part of that is unbelievable.
“If you had asked me four years ago if I ever saw myself here in this moment - I’m an optimistic person, but I don’t think I could. To have this opportunity with such an incredible group of girls and staff is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
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