The Golden State Valkyries made history Thursday night as they became the first WNBA expansion franchise to make the playoffs in its inaugural season, thanks to Newton South alum Veronica Burton.

As ESPN reports, the Valkyries—part of an 18-team expansion within the WNBA that was founded earlier this year—defeated the Dallas Wings (the team on which Burton started her professional career, making the moment even more special) with an 84-80 win after Burton managed a seemingly impossible shot near the end.

Read the complete ESPN story here.

Unfortunately, the Valkyries lost on Sunday to the Minnesota Linx, 78-72. They’re set to play against the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night as they close out their first regular season.

Burton played basketball all four years at Newton South High School before graduating in 2018, and she averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game her senior year. She went on to play at Northwestern and was named Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021.

The Dallas Wings picked Burton 7th in the 2022 WNBA draft, and she clinched a gold medal at the 2021 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup.