Surging Burrell knocks Freeport off kilter

By: Michael Love
Monday, January 5, 2026 | 11:30 PM

Previous Next

The Freeport girls basketball team alternated wins and losses from the start of the season to a holiday victory over District 9’s Clarion Limestone.

The Yellowjackets hoped to break that pattern with a second straight victory Monday in a Section 1-4A matchup at rival Burrell.

But the homestanding Bucs didn’t comply as they won their 10th of the season and secured their hold on third place in the section standings with a dominant 59-30 triumph.

Burrell got back in the win column after it suffered a 55-33 loss to Indiana in the title game of the Indiana Holiday Tournament on Dec. 30.

“We feel that every game we’re trying to improve, and we are improving,” Bucs coach Shaun Reddick said. “If you look at the Indiana score, one might think we went backwards. But Indiana is a really good team. I felt that scoring 33 on them was a win when we were running so many young kids out there.

“It feels like every game we’re learning and getting better, and I think tonight was an example of that. We have a lot of respect for Freeport and what (Yellowjackets head coach) Jason (Kerr) and his staff are doing over there. It’s always a good battle. I just think this was another step on that path to where we want to be and what we want to accomplish.”

Burrell improved to 10-3 overall and 4-1 in the section. The Bucs return to action next Monday at home against Oakland Catholic, No. 2 in the TribLive HSSN Class 4A rankings and the defending WPIAL champion.

“It will be nice to have that almost full week to prepare for Oakland Catholic,” Reddick said. “That is what we had with Freeport. We had a good five days to prepare for this game, and that was key to understanding what they do. We watched some film on (Freeport), and that helped the girls play with confidence.”

Freeport fell to 6-6 and 1-3 in the section. The Yellowjackets hope to bounce back Thursday at home against Highlands.

“We were not ready to play,” Kerr said. “We were more concerned with TikToking and pictures and whatever else than we were preparing for the game. When we decide to show up and prepare, we can compete and have a better showing. We were definitely in a Christmas lull. Burrell was ready to compete at a high level, and it showed.

“We will play Burrell again, but this is a game you flush. We just have to keep getting better, and that starts with how we come out and get ready for Highlands.”

The Bucs were on offensively and used strong defense to limit Freeport’s quality chances.

Burrell led 13-7 after the first quarter and extended the advantage to 29-13 at halftime.

The Bucs, who got a game-best 15 points from freshman starter Chase Coury and 13 points, six rebounds, four blocks and three steals from senior Casey Brancato, continued to pull away in the third quarter.

A Brancato jumper with 7:12 left in the fourth quarter put Burrell up 50-20 and put the mercy rule running clock into effect.

The Bucs now are averaging 55 points through 13 games.

Freeport had its share of foul issues. Senior Jaisa Gaillot picked up her fourth foul with 7:13 to go in the third quarter, and freshman Sydney Reiser was whistled for her third foul 12 seconds later.

Both were able to avoid any other fouls. Gaillot led Freeport with nine points and seven rebounds.

Sophomore CeCe Schlegel came off the bench for the Yellowjackets and scored seven points.

Burrell had six players tally at least six points. The Bucs have been proficient shooting from outside, and they hit seven 3-pointers in Monday’s win.

Junior starter McKenna Miller scored seven points and added seven rebounds in her third game back from an injury suffered in the soccer season

“It was nice to have her back at the Indiana tournament,” Reddick said. “She played some in the first game (55-33 win over DuBois Central Catholic) and then a little bit more (against Indiana). We talked with her about her conditioning and how she felt. She said she feels great and ready to go. She did what we expect of her with being able to handle the game, control the pace, and give us some scoring when we needed it.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell, Freeport