ALMA — Vanessa Burgess didn't walk, she ran to the free throw line in the waning seconds of Huntsville's Class 5A state quarterfinal game Monday.
The 5-foot-8 senior showed why she had so much confidence, sinking four consecutive free throws in the last minute to help the Lady Eagles ease to a 58-48 win over Pulaski Academy at Charles B. Dyer Arena.
How They Scored
Girls
Huntsville 58, Pulaski Academy 48
Pulaski^12^13^12^11^— 48
Huntsville^7^18^14^19^ — 58
Pulaski Academy (22-7): Kuhn 15, Wallace 7, Byrne 7, Krisht 7, Koller 6,
Huntsville (20-7): Burgess 24, Gragg 7, McCartney 6, Otwell 6, Cagle 6, Sulffridge 6, Butler 4, Phillips 2, Jones 2, Campbell 1.
Huntsville (20-7) will now take on Hot Springs, the No. 1 seed out of the South, at 4 p.m. today for a spot in the state finals.
The free throws by Burgess were just the finishing touches of a big fourth quarter, which helped the Lady Eagles break open a tight game.
Huntsville opened the final quarter with a 12-3 run and held Pulaski Academy without a field goal for more than six minutes to pull away. Burgess' bank shot off the glass gave Huntsville a 49-40 lead a little less than four minutes left. The Lady Bruins got back within eight with minutes to play, but again Burgess, who finished with a game-high 24, sank four straight foul shots to put the game away.
Pulaski Academy coach Rick Treadway said his team just had no answer for her.
"We knew she was their best player," Treadway said. "We just didn't have the legs or the size to stay with her. She's all over the floor. She's just so versatile. She can go inside or outside. She's got a nice shot. She's just tough to guard."
The Lady Bruins (22-7) definitely struggled to guard Burgess as she scored half her points from the foul line, making 12-of-13. She was also Huntsville's only player in double figures. Brittanie Gragg was next with seven.
Burgess only wanted to talk about her teammates and the Lady Eagles' special season.
"I've never been closer to a group of girls," Burgess said. "These girls are my best friends, and I think that's the reason we're so successful. We don't fight. We encourage each other. I've seen other teams that have potential, but they fall apart because they argue too much and they fight."
Huntsville coach Charlie Berry said the feeling is mutual between Burgess and her teammates.
"She has a lot of confidence in them, but they have a tremendous amount of confidence in her," Berry said. "She's a real catalyst for this team. She's a great student, too. She made 33 on the ACT."
Treadway said Burgess and the Lady Eagles literally wore down his team.
"It looked like we were really tired there," Treadway said. "They play a few more people than we do and Charlie probably knew that. They were physical, and when your bench isn't very long, that gets into you."
Sports on 03/11/2014