Head Coach Bruce Breeden has sounded like a coach use to this kind of season, even if his team’s place near the top of the Pacific League standings is somewhat unusual.
“We made it a goal to win a tournament and we finished as high as third, we made it a goal to win league and we finished second, and we will look to put together a winning streak in the playoffs and see what happens,” he said. “The point is you have to have big goals and miss by a little rather than settle.”
Burbank is coming off a remarkable season in which it broke new ground. The Bulldogs won 16 games, its best showing in Breeden’s seven seasons and finished second in the Pacific League with a mark of 10-4. Muir won the league with a 14-0 season.
Now the Bulldogs will host Fountain Valley for the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Division IA playoffs. One has to like their chances with Fountain Valley just 13-12 on the season and 4-7 in the Sunset League. It was just one of two fourth place teams from six team leagues selected for the postseason bracket.
Still, the Barons come from a tough league that features Hunnington Beach, Edison and Los Alamitos so nothing is a given. The Barons snapped a four-game losing streak by routing Newport Harbor on February 9, 56-28.
A Bulldogs’ win would most likely give them the daunting task of playing Centennial Corona in the next round, who plays at-large entry Upland on February 17. Centennial Corona is 21-6 overall and ranked as the No. 4 overall seed in the 32-team Division IA bracket.
Burbank is led by sisters Damarie Gonzalez (11.7 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, 3 assists) and Jamie Gonzalez (9.6 points per game). Aja Locke (6.6 points per game) and Courtney Seidler (6.3 points-per-game) are also part of a balanced Bulldog’s attack.
