Annawan turns up the pressure on Bureau Valley

MANLIUS - The faces and some of the names change for the Annawan High School girls basketball program, but the tradition continues.

The Bravettes used a suffocating pressure defense to limit the Storm to three points through the first three quarters en route to a 39-7 non-conference victory at the Storm Cellar Thursday night.

“Yeah that’s what we’re trying to do,” Annawan coach Jason Burkiewicz said of the Bravettes’ pressure defense. “I keep telling them they might not be the most skilled team we’ve ever had, but they may be, collectively, the fastest team we’ve ever had. They’re real young and learning to play some of the stuff that we want to do, some of the stuff we did prior to 2017, like some of the early teams.”

BV coach Matt Wasilewski said the Bravettes’ pressure was overbearing, but the Storm handled it too tentatively.

“They were able to turn it up and did a nice job forcing us into all the turnovers,” BV coach Matt Wasilewski said. “We have to want to attack it, but were tentative even when we broke it. Annawan did not fear us breaking the pressure so they simply ratcheted it up.”

Senior Cassidy Miller (12) and sophomore Elaina Manuel (11) combined for 23 points to lead Annawan (7-5).

BV senior Kyra Stoller scored the Storm’s first five points with Lynsie Cady adding a fourth-quarter bucket.

The Bravettes jumped out to a 13-1 lead before Stoller scored late on a drive to close the first quarter out at 13-3.

The Storm didn’t score again until the fourth quarter. The Bravettes, meanwhile, kept using its defense to set up its offense on the other end, scoring 13 points in each of the first three quarters to go up 39-3.

Annawan didn’t score in the fourth quarter nor needed to.

Burkiewicz, who’s led Annawan to state titles in 2014 and 2017 and a third-place state finish in 2013 in 12 years, said the Bravettes’ tradition rubs off on the younger players who have grown up around the program.

“We’ve still got some sisters hanging around. So, yeah, I actually have a freshmen (Bella VanOpdorp) who’s sister (Chloe) was a senior my very first year. That’s crazy, because that’s one of the biggest gaps (in sisters),” said Burkiewicz, a 1999 Hall grad.

“But yeah, they’ve seen it. They’ve grown up with it. Expectations are to get us to a point where we can be scary in the postseason.”

* Notes: Annawan also won the sophomore game 35-15. Emma Stabler had six points for the Storm.