Miles D’Agostin had an evening he’s going to remember for a very long time after pouring in a game-high 36 points.
D’Agostin is a senior shooting guard who practically carried the offensive load, helping push the Burbank High boys’ basketball team to a convincing 78-62 rout of visiting Arcadia in the Pacific League opener on Tuesday night.
D’Agostin accounted for 21 points in the opening half and finished with eight three-pointers and drilled six of six from the free-throw stripe.
“I didn’t think we played as intense in the first half. We gave them [Arcadia] a lot of confidence,” said Burbank first-year coach Ernest Baskerville. “For me, it’s not about the points. It’s the team learning.”
The next high scorer for the Bulldogs, who canned 11 from three-point range, was senior shooting guard/point guard Isaac Anglade’s 10 points as he pumped in two from beyond the three-point arc.
The key quarter for Burbank (5-2 and 1-0 in league) was the third when it exploded for 22 points and took command 60-44 after making nine of 16 (56.2 percent) from the field and two of two from the free-throw line.
“We didn’t make free throws early,” Baskerville pointed out. “We missed some layups. We missed some defensive assignments. They’re picking it up. They’re learning.”
Baskerville went on: “They played hard. That’s one thing I’m known for,” he noted. “I want them to be selfless. I like the extra pass. Let’s all eat. Everybody eats. The basketball court is a buffet.”
Meanwhile the Apaches (5-2 and 0-1 in league) converted five of 15 (33.3 percent) from the floor in the third period after missing their first two attempts.
“We just came out in the third quarter and we just lacked execution,” Arcadia co-coach Nick Wallace said. “We fell apart and we couldn’t recover. We’re an inexperienced team that’s trying to figure out how to play basketball the correct way as a team.”
Wallace added: “When we don’t score and we’re not playing physical and we’re not playing fast, that’s what ends up happening,” he said.
D’Agostin’s long trey with 4:46 showing in the third period saw the Bulldogs take command 50-36.
The opening quarter was close as the Bulldogs moved in front 19-18 heading into the second period.
D’Agostin led the way as he tallied eight points with six coming by way of three-pointers in the initial period.
The Bulldogs didn’t shoot well in the opening half, making nine of 29 (31 percent) from the field, but canned 13 of 20 (65 percent) from the free-throw line.
On the night, the Bulldogs converted 17 of 26 from the free-throw line for 65.3 percent, which could be better according to Baskerville.
In the second quarter, D’Agostin scored 13 points, including three via three-pointers as Burbank moved in front 38-32.
When D’Agostin hammered a three-pointer with 1:32 left in the second quarter, the Bulldogs, who shot 40.3 percent on 25 of 62 from the floor, bolted ahead 32-30.
Burbank was off in the fourth quarter, sinking seven of 17 (41.1 percent) and two of four from the charity line.
D’Agostin had a quiet fourth quarter scoring five points, while the leader was Anglade with seven points.
Junior shooting guard Richard He led the Apaches (5-2 and 0-1 in league) with 13 points after drilling two three-pointers.
Senior small forward Erik Harutyunyan tossed in nine points for Burbank, while sophomore small forward Abiel Pearl added five points and senior small forward Jalen Clark collected four points.
Senior point guard Kenneth Lee and senior shooting guard Sean Liu each scored eight points for the Apaches, who shot 25 percent from the floor (14 of 56) and eight of 21 from the free-throw line (38 percent).
