Players celebrate around Raheim Burnett after he scored his 1,000th career point in the second half of Mt. Pleasant’s 58-48 win over Middletown at Mt. Pleasant High School on Thursday evening.
Mt. Pleasant’s Raheim Burnett drives to the basket in the second half of Mt. Pleasant’s 58-48 win over Middletown at Mt. Pleasant High School on Thursday evening.
Middletown’s Kenneth Edelin has his shot blocked by Mt. Pleasant’s KVonn Cramer in the first half of Mt. Pleasant’s 58-48 win over Middletown at Mt. Pleasant High School on Thursday evening.
Mt. Pleasant’s KVonn Cramer blocks a shot from Middletown’s Eddie Henderson in the second half of Mt. Pleasant’s 58-48 win over Middletown at Mt. Pleasant High School on Thursday evening.
PENNY HILL – When everything was going wrong for Mount Pleasant, Raheim Burnett righted the ship.
The senior guard missed a jumper with 2:03 left, and Middletown grabbed the rebound and flew down the court with a chance to tie or take the lead. But Burnett stole the ball and went hard the other way for a layup, then hit 8 of 10 late free throws to push the Green Knights to a 58-48 home victory Thursday night.
“I’m the leader of the team, and I knew I had to make a big play,” Burnett said. “When I got the steal, I just thought about finishing.”
Third-ranked Mount Pleasant (10-3, 3-1 Blue Hen Flight A) played well in spurts, but Middletown (5-6, 1-3) wouldn’t go quietly. The Cavaliers rallied repeatedly, and only trailed 44-42 when Burnett turned his missed shot into the turning point.
“That’s what a first-team All-State does. That’s what a Player of the Year candidate does,” Green Knights coach Lisa Sullivan said of Burnett. “You don’t judge him by what he does on one end. You judge him by his complete game.
“He could have put his head down and pouted because he missed. Instead, he fought back, played defense, got a big steal and a layup.”
Then he salted the game away at the line, and Burnett’s final free throw came with an unexpected bonus. The game was stopped momentarily with 10.2 seconds left as the Green Knights celebrated Burnett’s 1,000th career point.
He had no idea it was coming – because Sullivan wouldn’t tell him.
“Every time I asked her, she would tell me I’m 100 away, 200 away,” Burnett said with a laugh. “So I just gave up asking her. I knew it was going to come eventually.
“… My teammates, I’ve been playing with them since fourth grade. It’s like a brotherhood. When I made it, they all surrounded me and that felt good. They embraced it and acted like they hit 1,000 points with me. It was all joy.”
Burnett scored 23 points, and 6-foot-5 freshman KVonn Cramer also had a big day for Mount Pleasant with eight points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots. But the Cavaliers avoided Cramer enough to take a 14-10 lead after one quarter, as Justin Thompson hit a scoop layup and Shane Wilkins converted a three-point play.
The Green Knights led 25-23 at the half, and stretched the margin to 35-28 on Burnett’s fast-break layup with 1:39 left in the third quarter.
But Middletown clawed back into it with a 6-0 run. Thompson, who finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, tipped in a missed free throw and scored off the offensive glass to pull the Cavaliers within 44-42 with 2:20 to play.
Then Burnett missed – but quickly recovered to make the play of the game.
“He has to do that,” Sullivan said. “He’s our go-to guy, so it’s expected. I hate to put that burden, that pressure on him, but we really expect it and he doesn’t let us down.”
Rob Myrick scored 10, and Ronald Shipman-Scott added six points and nine rebounds for Mount Pleasant. Wilkins scored 13 for Middletown, and center Jeremiah Nkumsah was a disruptive force with five rebounds and five blocks.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.