By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– The 1,000-point milestone is a big time accomplishment. Most teams may get one every so often. But for the South Salem Girls Basketball team saw two of their players reach that milestone.
What adds to the magnitude of the moment for both Emma Burlison and Brook Tate was that it happened in the same game. Both Burlison and Tate surpassed the 1,000 point total on February 10 in the Saxons 66-47 victory over the Celtics.
“Me and Brook have been playing since freshman year together, we have a really good relationship with our chemistry, so it’s been super fun. It’s been a huge honor to get that myself and I feel like Brook feels the same thing,” Burlison said of the feat.
“It was crazy for me because I knew Emma was close, I wasn’t sure how far away I was and seeing her hit it and being super proud of her. Then the next quarter, or after halftime, hitting it after halftime, we kind of looked at each other like astounded by what happened,” adds Tate.
On Friday night, the duo — along with their fellow seniors — will play their final regular-season home game against the Celtics. It’s a bittersweet moment, one that feels like just yesterday they were freshmen stepping onto the court for the first time. Still, they know there’s more basketball ahead.
Every day is a new day Tate points out, as this senior group looks to leave its mark one final time in a South Salem uniform.”
“Every day is a new day and to start like it’s their first day on the court, putting out effort and you have to work for something every single day. When you step out on the court, you might as well work towards that,” said Tate. “Pushing each other every day in the gym. Holding each other accountable. Accountability is part of our saying here and doing that and making sure that everyone comes up ready to put in the fight in every day.”
Although they fell short of the Central Valley Conference title, their sights remain set on reaching the Chiles Center in two weeks. Friday presents another opportunity to improve, sharpen their game, and build momentum for the playoff run ahead.
Whether it’s Senior Night, a 6A playoff game, or any game they’ve played this season, they approach it the same way — as if it’s their first time together, competing with intensity and seeing just how far this journey can take them.
“When we get out there, it’s like our first time because we want to show everything that we can do as a team and be successful and be together. We want to have that same intensity that we always have when we step out to the court,” Burlison starts. “We want to get as far as we possibly can. It’s coming out and working like we do every day. It’s that same fire, that passion that we all want as a team and collaborating as a team to get to that and that goal that we want to achieve.”
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
