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Burlington C. rolls to 25th straight BN-East win

Opponents would likely view Burlington Central as a different team with Sam Pryor back on the court.

The state's second-ranked girls basketball team in Class 3A sees Pryor's return from a knee injury differently.

Pryor had a game-high double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds in her second game of the season Tuesday night. But juniors Shelby Holt and Kayla Ross also scored in double figures as visiting Burlington (7-0) opened defense of its Big Northern East title with a 65-22 victory over Richmond-Burton at Lou Ramirez Gymnasium.

"It's great to have her back," said Ross, who had 10 points and 3 first-half assists. "But we're still playing the same. We're all playing together and we're all playing unselfishly, which is good."

Pryor came off the bench and scored 8 points as BC led 25-5 after a quarter in its 25th consecutive division victory. But the game's first 14 points came from Holt (15 points), Ross, Rebecca Gerke (7 points, 9 rebounds), Alison Colby and Aly DeTamble.

"Everyone is doing a great job and that goes to the fact we've played together for three years," Pryor said after shooting 7-for-11 from the field and 2-for-3 on 3-pointers. "We're so used to playing well together."

BC also used a 15-point run to take a 31-5 lead 4:03 before halftime and scored the game's last 14 points. Kayla Rafferty had 6 rebounds to aid dominant advantages of 46-17 overall and 16-2 on the offensive end.

R-B (3-5) shot just 19 percent from the field (7-for-37) and 3-for-20 behind the arc. BC turned 20 turnovers into 17 points.

"It's a luxury we have, and one of the reasons we're so fortunate to be in the position we are is we have nine or 10 kids who can play," said BC coach Mark Smith. "The toughest challenge in a game like this for the girls is the mental challenge of staying focused and staying ready to play."

That depth requires BC players to be ready to as Smith at times brought in four fresh players off the bench.

"I thought they all played well," Smith said of the significant minutes Kristina Ahlers and Jackie Collins also gave BC.

"We all knew exactly what we had to do to win the game and we all came out focused and got the job done," Ross said.

"Coach always makes sure we're focused before the game," Pryor said. "Our team is great mentally and we come out strong against every team we play."

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