The Burrell boys basketball team has notched four straight wins and is carrying momentum into conference play.
The Bucs earned a key conference win over Freeport, 47-30, and followed it with a 57-32 victory over Valley. On their four game winning-streak, defense has become Burrell’s identity.
“We’ve been holding teams to around 30 points a game, and that comes from effort, discipline and buying in,” coach Michael Fantuzzo said. “The kids are taking pride in guarding the ball, contesting shots and helping each other.”
The Bucs have outscored the opposition by an average of 56-29 since returning from their Florida trip. After a rivalry win over Deer Lakes on Dec. 19, The Bucs traveled to compete in the Tampa Bay Invitational.
Burrell had the opportunity to play at Nova Southeastern University against elite competition, including a team whose starting lineup averaged 6-foot-5.
The Bucs dropped all three games but remained competitive throughout the tournament. After facing an elite opponent in its opening game, Burrell had a chance to defeat Drew Charter before falling 42-40 on a final shot.
“When you play teams like that, with that size and athleticism, it really puts things in perspective,” Fantuzzo said. “We competed down there, and coming back home it showed our guys that we can compete with anyone if we do things the right way.
“The biggest thing we took away from Florida was how physical the games were. Teams were holding us, pushing us, and there weren’t a lot of fouls called. That forced us to play through contact and stay composed, and that experience is huge for us with how physical our section is.”
Burrell’s play in Florida lit a spark. The team’s chemistry is the tightest it’s been all season as the Bucs have climbed to 7-7.
“I think we’ve really clicked over the past couple weeks,” Fantuzzo said. “We’re playing really good basketball defensively, and the kids are starting to believe in what we’re doing. We’re playing together, communicating better, and you can see the confidence growing with each win.”
The heart and soul of the defense is Sam Conte and Trey Coury.
“Sam usually takes on the other team’s best player, and he embraces that challenge every night,” Fantuzzo said. “Trey comes off the bench and immediately changes the energy with his speed and aggressiveness. Those two really spark us and allow us to play the style of defense we want to play.”
Conte is also the team leader averaging four assists.
As for the scoring, the brotherly duo of Adam and Ryan Wass steers the ship for the Bucs as they average 11 points each.
“They’re great kids, and it’s been really fun watching their growth over the years,” Fantuzzo said. “They were originally baseball players, but even during baseball season they were still coming to open gyms whenever they could. They’ve earned everything they’ve gotten because of the work they’ve put in, and seeing how much they’ve improved over the last three years has been really rewarding as a coach.”
They aren’t the only ones scoring. Senior Gavyn Orr contributes 11 points and seven rebounds per contest.
“Gavyn has really come into his own for us,” Fantuzzo said. “Early in the season, he was still figuring things out, but lately he’s been much more aggressive offensively. He can score inside, he can hit the three, and when he’s confident, he becomes a big part of what we do.”
With D.J. Cosentino, who provides a good shot from beyond the arc, Burrell has a balanced offensive attack.
“Early in the year, we relied on just a couple guys to score for us,” Fantuzzo said. “Now we’ve got five or six players who can put up double figures on any given night, and that makes us much harder to guard and a lot more dynamic as a team.”
The Bucs turn their attention to another conference foe when they face Highlands on Friday. In their Dec. 12 meeting, the Golden Rams won 68-65 on a buzzer-beater.
“And we had 22 turnovers,” Fantuzzo said. “To even be in that game with that many turnovers says a lot, but we’re much better now and looking forward to the challenge.”
There is still a lot of conference play left. However, reaching .500 again and earning three straight conference victories, along with four overall wins, puts Burrell in a position to make a push for the playoffs.
“We’re going to keep refining our defenses and mixing things up offensively so teams can’t sit on what we do,” Fantuzzo said. “The goal is to be harder to guard every time we step on the floor.”