Burchell Classic: MVP Jugler leads Weber’s late surge past Bear River in tourney finale
McDonald powers Bonneville by Ogden to end pre-region event 3-3
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- Weber High’s Abigail Hall puts up a 3-point try against Bear River during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber High’s Rylee Jugler is greeted by her teammates afer drawing a foul against Bear River during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Bonneville High’s Ema Eskelsen, left, white, and Charity McDonald, right, white, are jubilant during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Bear River’s Elena Barksdale puts up a 3-point try against Weber High during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Left to right: Bear River’s Olivia Fry, Eve Miller and Maylee Higley are jubilant following a foul called against Weber High during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber High’s Katelyn Arbon flys past Bear River’s Tru Leavitt during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Bear River’s Bailey Roberts puts up a 3-point try in the face of Weber High’s Abigail Hall, left, and Summer Hallows, right, during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber High’s Bradey Schiffman, defended by Bear River’s Maylee Higley, looks for an open pass during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber High’s Jade Kulpa, center, twists through Bear River’s Ava Driggs, left, and Maylee Higley, right, during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Weber High coach Trevor Howell discusses a call with an official during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Ogden High’s Hazel Nadolski, left, looks for an open pass while pressured by Bonneville’s Stacey Tesch, center, and Madilynn Degroot, right, during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Ogden High’s Salote Tonga, center, drives through Bonneville High’s Adisyn Stone, left, and Stacey Tesch, right, during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Ogden High’s Lauretta Taukiuvea reacts to a foul called against her during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Bonneville High’s Charity McDonald puts up a 3-point basket against Ogden High during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Bonneville High’s Baya Jimenez brings the ball down the floor against Ogden during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Ogden High coach Andy Blodgett directs his team from courtside during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
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- Bonneville coach Johnny Caine speaks with his team during the Burchell Classic preseason girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace.
WASHINGTON TERRACE — In its 37-year history, the annual Burchell Classic, held in honor of late Ogden High grad and Bonneville athletic director Charles “Harry” Burchell, spotlights some of the top names in Northern Utah high school girls basketball.
This year, Weber High senior Rylee Jugler put her own spin on things.
Weber’s 6-fo0t power forward claimed the four-game tournament’s Most Valuable Player award shortly after dropping a game-high 17 points for the Warriors in a 55-26 runaway finish for Friday’s finale at Bonneville High School.
Jugler popped off for nine fourth-quarter points, including one of three late 3-pointers by the Warriors (5-1) — the others coming off the bench via senior Katelyn Arbon (10 points) and junior Elena Barksdale (three points) — and Weber shut out the Bears 22-0 in the final frame.
“She’s a confident kid, and she’s been our leader for the last two years,” Weber coach Trevor Howell said of Jugler. “Everybody looks to her, and so for her, the expectation is to play well like that all the time. It’s great to see her succeed like that.”
Weber junior guard Jade Kulpa gave 13 more points to the effort, including eight in the first half while Bear River made the most of its road trip early. Led by sophomore Samantha Theurer (11 points), the Bears (3-3) kept the first quarter within a possession and trailed by four at the break.
BR freshman Maylee Higley (six points) drilled two 3-point buckets that’d become sorely missed in the second half as she’d go quiet behind the arc the rest of the way. Another first-year contributor, Eve Miller (four points), hopped off the bench for an and-one bucket in the second quarter, but she too struggled to get back to the basket in the second half.
It’d be Theurer leading the charge with six of Bear River’s eight third-quarter points, the other two coming on freshman Allie Driggs’ first field goal of the night. Still down just six by the fourth quarter, Bear River’s young roster succumbed to Weber’s late charge with six different Warriors finding the scoring column.
Weber senior Abigail Hall (five points), sophomore Bradey Schiffman (four points), junior Avery Shupe (two points), and junior Payton Rich (one) all got a piece of the pie on Friday.
Bear River sophomore Bailey Roberts (two points) and junior Olivia Fry (one point) chipped in for their team as well.
“It was a dogfight,” Howell said. “We weren’t very good offensively, and some of that had to do with what (Bear River) was doing, but as soon we got going, it happened in a hurry and our girls enjoyed it.”
Now with five wins, Weber enjoys a three-day break until returning home against Hunter on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Bear River also returns home Tuesday for its region opener with Sky View.
McDonald pours it on Ogden early, Bonneville improves to 3-3
Bonneville senior sharpshooter Charity McDonald poured five of her six 3-pointers into the first half of a 48-30 win over Ogden High in the consolation round of the Burchell Classic on Friday.
McDonald’s game-high 22 points proved too much for a balanced Ogden attack, which faltered under the pressure of a 20-0 run by the Lakers (3-3) in the second quarter. Bonneville’s 5-foot-7 senior torched the Tigers (2-4) with 17 points in the first half alone.
Still, Bonneville produced nine different scorers on Friday against a defense that Lakers coach Johnny Caine holds in high regard. Caine’s squad came up short of the tourney’s title game after a narrow, 52-48 loss to 6A Weber on Thursday.
“I’m proud of my team. They’re really resilient when we get knocked down,” Caine said. “Tough one against Weber the other night. We were in it, had a chance and it didn’t go our way but it’s onto the next game, right? They just know a way to lock in and they know what to do.”
He continued:
“Ogden made it difficult for us. They did everything they could to take (McDonald) out of the game and other girls stepped up. We just know it’s a team, it’s not one person. These girls all know they can play and if, collectively, they work together on both ends of the floor, they’re going to be super successful.”
Ogden senior post Lauretta Taukiuvea’s six bench points actually led to a short-lived 13-11 lead by the end of the first quarter, but a silent follow-up saw Ogden trail by 18 at the break. McDonald’s onslaught, as well as a bench 3 from junior Mylie Miera, kept the Lakers in motion.
Ogden sophomore Hazel Nadolski rose to a team-high eight points by the end of the night, but the 3A representatives offered up too little, too late. Seniors Jill Wood, Megan Beus and Salote Tonga combined for 10 points; freshmen Juliet Knowles and Millie Nadolski chipped in six.
With another loss, Ogden hoped to regroup against Orem at home right away on Saturday. Bonneville travels to Farmington on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
2025 Burchell Classic Awards
Tournament MVP: Rylee Jugler (Weber)
First Team: Jill Wood (Ogden), Baya Jimenez (Bonneville), Olivia Fry (Bear River), Abigail Hall (Weber), Charity McDonald (Bonneville)
Second Team: Jade Kulpa (Weber), Adisyn Stone (Bonneville), Allie Driggs (Bear River), Lauretta Taukiuvea (Ogden), Maylee Higley (Bear River)
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
