DISNEY-ESQUE RALLY: Down 14 in 4th, ‘Cats script amazing comeback
Lizzie Burnham banks in the winning layup with 30 seconds remaining to cap a stunning comeback victory for Plymouth. PHOTO COURTESY OF VASILNEK IMAGES
In some ways, it was the easiest layup of Lizzie Burnham’s life — uncontested, just like in the pre-game layup lines.
But given what was on the line — a victory against her team’s biggest rival — it was the hardest layup Burnham ever released.
With just over 30 seconds remaining in Friday night’s Plymouth-Canton girls basketball game and the Wildcats trailing, 24-23, Burnham secured a loose ball that had eluded a Canton player who slipped on the court.
She calmly took two dribbles and banked the ball perfectly off the glass and through the net with what proved to be the final basket in a game in which Plymouth trailed 22-8 entering the final quarter.
(To check out video of Lizzie Burnham’s game-winning shot, click here.)
After acknowledging that wide-open shots are often the most-difficult ones to finish, Burnham said it was the biggest two points she’s ever registered.
‘A lot of adrenaline’
“By far it was,” she said, smiling, reflecting on her only shot of the game. “I had a lot of adrenaline going through me once I got the ball. I didn’t have a lot of time to be nervous, thankfully.
“I really have to credit my teammates because they’re the ones that forced the turnover. I’m really excited and happy for the team.”
While Burnham’s bucket proved to be the exclamation point in the crazy comeback, senior Wildcat Izzy Krause made it possible by scoring all 10 of her points in the fourth quarter.
The winners’ 17-point fourth quarter was improbable, to say the least, considering Plymouth scored just two points in the second quarter and a single point in the third.
Perseverance pays off
“This is one of those wins that was gritty, not pretty,” Plymouth Head Coach Ryan Ballard said. “The kids never gave up. They showed perseverance … they stayed with it.
“I told them during timeouts to stay positive. We were getting the shots we wanted throughout the game, they just weren’t going in.”
Ballard was especially happy for Krause, who couldn’t buy a bucket during the game’s first 24 minutes.
“Izzy was getting a little down on herself because her shots weren’t falling, but our assistant coaches did a great job of talking to her and boosting her confidence,” Ballard said. “They kept telling her, ‘Hey, the next one is going to fall.’ Once she made that first one, I don’t think she missed again.”
Im-press-ive comeback
Plymouth’s fortunes changed once it employed full-court pressure that forced multiple Canton turnovers.
“Speeding them up was the best thing we did,” Ballard said.
After suffering through the same kind of shooting woes Krause experienced, Canton sophomore McKinsey Berlin erupted in the third quarter when she scored all 10 of her points to give the Cobras a seemingly-comfortable 22-8 lead heading into the final stanza.
Trailing 24-21 with 65 seconds remaining, Plymouth got a basket from junior Annie Flavin to cut its deficit to one.
Crazy ending
The Wildcats got a huge defensive stop on Canton’s next possession.
As Plymouth attempted to get the ball into one of its interior players with the clock winding down under 1 minute, Canton’s Essence Jelks tipped the ball to teammate Ava Murphy, who is arguably the Cobras’ best ball-handler.
However, Murphy appeared to slip and lose possession after dribbling the ball out of harm’s way.
Burnham was in the right place at the right time and delivered a huge layup — one that won’t soon be forgotten throughout the Plymouth athletics program.
Plymouth improved to 9-1 overall and 3-0 in the KLAA West. The Wildcats are deadlocked with Hartland atop the division.
Canton fell to 3-5 overall and 0-3 in the West.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
