Round Lake’s Lilli Burton fits the unsung role to near perfection on a team with fourth-year seniors Amari Cole and Taylor Major.
The Round Lake junior guard is quiet and doesn’t demand the ball. She doesn’t have tattoos or colorful hair like Cole does, and she doesn’t have Major’s flash.
Burton does wear bright-teal shoes, which she called “my highlight.”
“I just try to stay composed on the court, and I take pride in that,” she said. “I do have moments of joy.”
Her businesslike approach and impactful play continued Tuesday.
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Burton hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 10 points to spark ninth-seeded Round Lake’s 42-34 win against eighth-seeded Warren in a Class 4A Stevenson Regional semifinal.
The Panthers (28-3) added to their program record for wins in a season and advance to play top-seeded Stevenson (30-2) in the regional championship game at 7 p.m. Friday.
Major, a 5-foot-10 point guard, had a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds. Cole, a 6-foot-1 center, had 10 points, seven bounds and four steals.
Burton, who also had six rebounds and three steals, hit three 3-pointers to increase her season total to a team-high 50.
“In the middle of the game, my shooting was rough, but it was good at the beginning and end,” Burton said. “I felt I shot pretty good.”
The Blue Devils (15-12) played tentative against Round Lake’s zone for the majority of the first half, not scoring their first field goal until Grace Lynch’s coast-to-coast basket with 1:02 left in the second quarter. The Panthers led 17-12 at halftime.
Round Lake extended its lead to 32-23 early in the fourth quarter before Lynch scored nine points late. The Panthers secured the win by hitting their free throws.
Lynch, a 6-foot-2 senior forward, was a ball of energy for Warren, hitting shots from all angles, attacking the glass and playing tough defense. She scored 15 of her game-high 19 points in the second half and also had nine rebounds. She picked up the slack amid senior center Annika Gustafson’s foul trouble.
“My end goal was to redeem myself against Stevenson, the No. 1 team, and I played with Amari Cole and Taylor Major on the same AAU team last year,” Lynch said. “I really wanted to beat them. I just put it all out on the court.”
Meanwhile, Burton was steady throughout the game.
“I just play wherever they need me,” Burton said. “I’ve played post, guard and anywhere this season. I also shoot a little bit.”
Burton has been essential to Round Lake’s 16-game winning streak. She entered the game averaging 11.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 3.9 steals.
“Lilli has just steadily improved since her freshman year on varsity,” Round Lake coach Molly Hennig said. “Each year she’s kind of evolved in different ways. In her freshman year, Taylor was hurt, so Lilli had to do most of the ballhandling.
“This year she’s really found her role, in terms of balancing things out. When we need a big shot, she will hit it, or she helps Taylor bring the ball up. She’s been able to fit into her role well.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.