BEYOND THE BOX SCORE: ELMIRA'S BURCHARD MAKING AN IMPACT ON THE GAME WITH HER DEFENSE (2023-02-03)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
Sometimes you have to look beyond the box score to find out what a player brings to the table.

The scoring numbers for Laila Burchard don’t jump out at you. She ranks eighth on the Elmira girls’ basketball team at 1.6 points a game.

The thing the box score doesn’t show is the defense she plays to slow down the other team’s best players.

Game in and game out Burchard has come in and been a lock-down defender for Elmira, making an impact that doesn’t always show up in the box score.

“I just feel really good playing,” Burchard said. “I’v been working really hard in practice, keeping my energy up, and I think it’s paying off.”

When Elmira played Waverly last month she was one of the stars of the game, despite scoring just one point in the contest.

With teammates in foul trouble early, Burchard quickly found herself on the court for the Express, and she was up to the challenge of playing big minutes against a state-ranked team.

“We keep talking to the kids about accepting their roles and embracing their roles, and she really has,” Allen said. “She comes off the bench and she has played some fantastic defense. Today (against Waverly) with Payton (Ross) getting in early foul trouble and Liv Woodruff getting in early foul trouble we needed her right away and she came in and played great defense. She got some big steals and brought an energy.”

One play may have exemplified what Burchard has done this year. On one sequence the two teams combined for five steals on a back-and-forth that went 40 seconds. Burchard ended the crazy sequence as she got a steal and was fouled and she drove to the basket.

“I just saw it open up,” Burchard said of the lane to the basket.

Allen saw it as a sign of the hard work that Burchard has been putting in.

“It was great, because she just kept pursuing the ball,” Allen said. “She has really improved the last few weeks in practice and in games. She is earning those minutes and that’s the big piece. We keep telling the kids you have got to earn it and she has definitely started to earn that and move her way up the depth chart.”

It’s never easy coming off the bench, but Burchard knows you have to be ready for anything.

“It’s pretty tough, but I have to keep my head in the game and expect anything,” Burchard said.

Perhaps no bench in the league gets more into the game than Elmira’s bench players. They are up and cheering on every big play, and Burchard feels like having that energy while on the bench helps when the players hit the court.

“I think getting all energized on the bench gets you ready for the energy in the game,” Burchard said.

That energy is something that Allen wants to see from players when the come off the bench.

“That’s what we need from our kids coming off the bench is to be those kids that bring the energy and pick us up when maybe we get a little stagnant,” Allen said.

Burchard has worked hard to be a player that can come into the game and make an impact on defense.

“I have had to be in really good shape,” she said.

And, she enjoys the chance to go up against star players from opposing schools.

“It’s really good competition for me and I like getting cheered on for it,” Burchard said of playing defense.

For Allen that’s what he wants from his players, the ability to play their role, no matter what that role may be.

“That’s the thing we have talked and we continue to talk, embrace the role you are in,” Allen said. “Not everybody can be the front line star, not everybody can do that. Embrace your role. If your role is to come off the bench and play great defense, be the greatest at that. If your job is to come in and knock down a couple of threes, be the greatest at that. Tonight (against Waverly) Lailah really did a good job of coming in and stabilizing us and playing some great defense.”

Since that game Burchard has taken on bigger and bigger roles in games. Against Vestal she had a nine-point night, and also recorded multiple steals on the defense end to help lead the Express to a win.

The junior guard has learned a lot from the seniors on the team, especially all-state standout Jalea Abrams.

“Just keeping your head in the game, she’s always in it and encouraging,” Burchard said.

As the Express get ready for the postseason they know they will need players like Burchard, and others, to step up and take on big roles.

“It’s our number one thing we tell the kids,” Allen said. “We know who the established players are, what we need is to be able to have kids come off the bench with versatility, come off the bench with energy and come off the bench and give us a spark, and she really did that and it will spread.

“Each day it is someone different. Today it was Lailah. Next game it might be someone else, and the next game maybe someone else. I’m really happy for her to be able to come off the bench and do that.”
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