January 21, 2015

With Junior Guard Bourke Going on Scoring Binge, Hun Girls’ Hoops Primed for Exciting Stretch Run

Slowed by a gimpy ankle, Amber Bourke got off to a slow start this winter in her junior season with the Hun School girls’ basketball team.

While her ankle got better by the holiday break, it took some prodding from family members to get her fully up to speed.

“My parents had a pep talk with me over Christmas break,” said Bourke. “We had a talk and they told me to step up.”

Taking her parents words to heart, Bourke caught fire this week for Hun, scoring a total of 42 points in two games, tallying 22 in an 87-56 loss to Blair Academy last Wednesday and 20 in a 46-42 loss to Pingry two days later.

Last Saturday, Bourke took things to a higher level, pouring in 27 points as Hun fought valiantly before falling 87-80 in double overtime to visiting Mercersburg Academy (Pa.).

Bourke was rolling from the start on Saturday, scoring 13 points in the first quarter as Hun jumped out to a 27-14 lead.

“I came down early to warm up,” said Bourke. “My teammates were looking for me so I was able to just release my shot when I got the ball.”

In the second quarter, the shots started falling for Mercersburg as it outscored Hun 23-12 to narrow the gap to 39-37 at halftime.

“We let them get back in the second quarter,” said Bourke. “After halftime, they were pumped up and we relaxed. We should have been more into it.”

Midway through the fourth quarter, Hun found itself trailing 61-52. Getting into it, the Raiders went on a 21-12 run to knot the game at 73-73 and force overtime.

“We said we could play together, make the pass and look for each other,” said Bourke. “I think that helped us.”

The teams each scored two points in the first overtime but then Mercersburg pulled away in the second OT, outscoring Hun 8-1 in the waning moments of the contest.

While Bourke was disappointed by the loss, she is heartened by her progress.

“I have been working with my trainer for ballhandling,” said Bourke. “I have been able to make moves and get to the basket more.”

Bourke is getting more comfortable following in the footsteps of older brother, Michael, a former Hun hoops star who led the boys’ squad in scoring last winter with an average of 13.4 points a game.

“It is a lot of pressure, I feel like I have to get to his level,” said Bourke. “He helps me a lot with getting better.”

Hun head coach Bill Holup felt his team handled the pressure well as it battled to the last whistle on Saturday.

“The effort all around was amazing,” said Holup, whose team dropped to 3-9 with the setback.

“The bottom line was that the effort was there and they never gave up. They didn’t hang their heads. It was a great crowd, a very supportive crowd. It was an exciting game. Unfortunately it didn’t come out in our favor.”

In Holup’s view, his players showed resolve that will serve them well going forward.

“I think yesterday was a real tough loss for us,” said Holup, referring to the defeat at Pingry.

“To be able to bounce back and play as well as we did today really says something about our character. They are certainly not giving up on anything. There is a lot of fight in them.”

Sophomore guard Julie Fassl showed a lot of fight for Hun, playing tenaciously at the defensive end and hitting two big buckets down the stretch.

“Her defense was fantastic,” said Holup. “She came up from JV last year. She has started almost every game I think. She has come in there and she plays hard; she brings her lunch pail every day.”

Holup likes the way Bourke has been coming on over the last few weeks, especially in the absence of senior guard Erica Dwyer, who is currently sidelined due to injury.

“Amber has really found her stroke now; her overall team play has been amazing,” said Holup.

“She is following through on her shot so her form is great. Erica was one of our other perimeter scorers so Amber really has to step up and handle the ball more as well as looking to score more. She is a terrific ballhandler, that is not anything she is uncomfortable with.”

Senior star and St. Peter’s-bound Janelle Mullen has been stepping up all season for the Raiders.

“Janelle is a legitimate basketball player; she is going to be playing at the Division 1 level,” said Holup of Mullen, who tallied a game-high 32 points in the defeat to Mercersburg.

“She has been helping with the development of the younger girls. She is an experienced player and it is great that she is already set for college so she doesn’t have to worry about anything.”

While it would have been great for Hun to pull out the game last Saturday, Holup isn’t worried about the challenges ahead.

“I think it says that there is a lot more parity overall in the MAPL,” said Holup, whose team is slated to play at Newark Academy on January 22 and at the Padua Academy (Del.) on January 24 before hosting the Peddie School on January 27.

“Blair is heads above everybody else but I think there is a lot of parity there. We may face Mercersburg, Hill, or Lawrenceville again. We are all competitive with each other; it is pretty exciting stuff.”

In Bourke’s view, the Raiders could have an exciting finish if they build on their effort against Mercersburg.

“I think we played as a team together today,” added Bourke. “This is definitely good because we sometimes struggle with that.”