Senior guard Ashley Waslo can be considered a glue player for Burlington Central. She does a lot of stuff right for the Rockets but rarely gets the type of glory that stands out on the stat sheet.
The fact that coach Michael Carani recognizes her contributions isn’t lost on her.
“I appreciate that a lot that he sees the little things because a lot of people miss those things,” Waslo said of Carani. “I usually strive in doing the little things that not everyone sees.
“I appreciate that he sees that.”
It was Waslo appreciation night Tuesday as she stepped up and scored a career-high 19 points to spark Burlington Central to a 74-61 Fox Valley Conference victory over host Hampshire.
Waslo shot 7 of 11 for the Rockets (13-8, 7-2), including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, to go with 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Julia Scheuer also scored 19 points. Scarlett LaFleur followed with 14 and Kelsey Covey had 11.
Burlington Central’s Ashley Waslo (4) pushes the ball up the court against Hampshire in the third quarter of a Fox Valley Conference game in Hampshire on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Mikala Amegasse led all scorers with 25 points for Hampshire (10-11, 5-4), with 20 coming during the second half. Veronica Dumoulin added 12 points and Peyton McCarthy picked up 11.
Carani knows how valuable the 5-foot-5 Waslo is to Burlington Central’s success. He was glad that others got to see it firsthand Tuesday.
“She’s one of those people that stays under the radar at times,” Carani said of Waslo. “I want other people to see it. She’s earning it day in and day out.
“It’s great to see her have nights like that where it shows up a little bit more in the stats. In a game like this, it means a lot to her.”
Burlington Central’s Ashley Waslo (4) passes the ball against Hampshire in the first quarter of a Fox Valley Conference game in Hampshire on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Waslo and Co. wasted little time getting started Tuesday.
Burlington Central started the game shooting 7 of 7 from the field. Waslo and Covey each drained a pair of 3-pointers during that run. Scheuer added three layups.
The Rockets then ended the first half on a 19-4 run to take a 39-18 lead.
“We were moving the ball around really good, which was getting me those open shots, so that was really good,” Waslo said. “This was really good for us.”
Burlington Central’s Ashley Waslo (4) reacts to a foul against Hampshire during the third quarter of a Fox Valley Conference game in Hampshire on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
And Waslo excels at those types of things.
“She’s very court aware,” Carani said. “She’s got good experience, great court vision. It doesn’t always show in the numbers, but she’s one that really hits people when they’re in position.
“(Tuesday) we were moving and cutting without the basketball.”
At halftime, Hampshire coach Eric Samuelson expressed his displeasure with the first half to his players and the Whip-Purs responded.
The Rockets pushed the lead to 50-25 with 3:40 left in the third quarter, but Hampshire didn’t back down as Amegasse put the Whip-Purs on her back.
Back-to-back layups off her steals cut the deficit to 62-53 with 3:55 left in the fourth.
“I told them as we were coming out for the fourth quarter, ‘Look, here’s where we’re at,” Samuelson said. “We’re down 18. We have to go for a jailbreak. We’re going to just have to leave it all out there.”
Burlington Central’s Ashley Waslo (4) blocks the lane on Hampshire’s Sydney Bennick (5) during the second quarter of a Fox Valley Conference game in Hampshire on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
The late fade was a concern to Carani.
“That’s where we’ve had some inconsistencies, putting four quarters together,” Carani said. “If they go on a run, we have to dig in and find a way to get a stop.
“There was a lot that went well, but there’s still a lot to pull away.”
Waslo knows that there is much to work on, but coming off of a rough season last winter, she’s happy with where things are going.
“We’re doing pretty well right now,” Waslo said. “There are things we can definitely work on, but we’re in a pretty good spot, much better than we were last year.
“I think we just keep growing as a team, which is great.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
