Experienced Seniors Lead Bulldogs Into New Basketball Season
The Harrodsburg Herald/Samuel Warren
The 2025-26 Burgin boys basketball team. Pictured left to right, bottom row: Mattix Cope, Hudson Taylor, Frankie Jett, Landen Sexton, Blake Marlow. Top row: Micah Mays, Hunter Thompson , Brayden Pittman, Jase Thompson, Phillip Dodson, Cohen Edwards, Ben Rowe, Joshua Stine. Not pictured Wyatt Norton and Deacon Bowman.
Wesley Bird
Herald Staff
[email protected]
Burgin Basketball is ready to start their 2025- 2026 season with tipoff on Tuesday, Dec. 2, against the Boyle County Rebels. The Bulldogs look to build on last season, led by an experienced group that includes six seniors and five juniors under Head Coach Todd Claunch.
The Burgin Bulldogs finished last season 7-23 with a win over Trinity Christian in the 46th District tournament, but their season ended against the Mercer County Titans in the following round. Burgin graduated J.T. Boswell, who averaged 10.4 points and Waylin Hamp who collected 22 rebounds for the Bulldogs last season.
This year’s team is upperclassman-led with seniors Phillip Dodson, Brayden Pittman, Frankie Jett, Landen Sexton and Jase Thompson. As a collective, they appeared in 100 games, scored 470 points, made 48 three-pointers and had 245 rebounds. Sexton returns this season after leading the Bulldogs in points with 297. Dodson led the team in rebounds last season with 109. Pittman finished the season with 35 points and 38 rebounds. Jett is new to the team and Thompson finished last season with 17 rebounds.
Coach Claunch has lofty goals for his squad this season, including competing in district play and winning.
“We expect to win a couple of games in district play and play in the championship game,” said Claunch.
Burgin has a chance this year with East Jessamine having a down year last season, Mercer graduating the 12th Region Player of the Year and the Bulldogs defeat ingTrinity Christian in the 46th district tournament last season.
It will take a combined effort from the large senior class and standout underclassmen like junior Micah Mayes and sophomore Hudson Taylor. Mayes scored 223 points for Burgin, hitting 37 threepointers last season while grabbing 79 rebounds. Taylor took a big leap last season, totaling 251 points and leading the team with 55 three-pointers made.
