Burmeister breaks pair of OHS records
Owatonna’s Blake Burmeister drives to the basket against Northfield earlier this season. Burmeister said that he hopes he will be remembered as a shooter, but that he also wants to be an inspiration for the next generation of Owatonna Huskies to work hard to accomplish their goals. Staff photo by Johnnie Phillips
Owatonna boys basketball athlete Blake Burmeister set new school records for points and three-pointers made in a single game in a 44-point performance against Red Wing last week.
The senior broke the previous scoring record of 42 points by knocking down two free throws late in the game to set the new bar at 44, while also breaking the previous record of 10 three-pointers in a game by scoring 11 against the Wingers.
“Last time we faced them I had a pretty good game, so going into this one I felt like I had a good chance to have another good game. I typically do well against zone defenses because there’s more space to shoot, and I took advantage of that space again this time around,” said Burmeister.
According to Burmeister, he was not aware of how close he was to the record during the game, but had a feeling that he was in the hunt for a special night when his three-point attempts just kept falling.
In the end, Burmeister lit up the scoreboard with 11 of 17 shooting from downtown to account for 33 of his 44 points.
Outside of his 11 three-pointers, Burmeister also finished two of four from two-point range to end his night shooting 13-for-21 from the field – good for a shooting percentage of 61.9%.
When asked about what the records meant to him and the fact that they came in his last regular-season home game, Burmeister’s answer was simple: “It means everything. I love this team… the players, coaches, staff and everyone here with us.”
While Burmeister does not plan to play sports in college and instead is looking to pursue an education and career in dentistry, the senior does hope that his time in the Huskies’ royal blue and silver does have a positive influence on the next generation of Owatonna athletes.
“I hope I’m remembered as a shooter and someone who could be relied on at both ends of the court. But what I really want is to be an example for future kids to work hard to achieve their goals. Even if you fail the first time – like I have done many times – don’t give up. Work harder. You will achieve your goals in time.”