A somewhat lackluster start didn’t derail the Burbank High girls’ basketball team as it plastered visiting Pasadena 55-40 in a Pacific League match Friday on Senior Night.
Using six three-pointers, three in each half, Burbank (18-8 and 8-4 in league) erased a 14-11 opening-quarter deficit and outscored Pasadena 44-26 over the final three quarters.
Front and center was senior power forward Christina Mkrtchyan, who poured in a game-best 19 points.
“My shots weren’t falling,” Mkrtchyan said of her usual prolific outside shooting, “so I attacked the basket. I’d rather go to the hoop and get an and one. But if the shots [three-pointers] are there, I’ll take it.”
Freshman shooting guard/small forward Osanna Tirityan delivered 15 points with nine points coming in the second half.
“We started a little slow because of Senior Night,” Burbank coach Bruce Breeden said. “We had to fight out of that, but we played within ourselves.”
Burbank, which made 10 of 23 shots for 43.4 percent in the second half, was also extremely effective at the free-throw line (17 of 22 for 77.2 percent) with Mkrtchyan drilling 11 of 12.
Burbank outscored Pasadena (8-17 and 2-10 in league) 15-3 in the second quarter behind nine points from Mkrtchyan, who splashed in six of six from the charity stripe and added the first of two three-pointers.
Mkrtchyan dropped in four free tosses in the first quarter, while Tirityan scored three points.
The third quarter saw Burbank (16 of 48 from the field for 33.3 percent) tally 15 points while limiting Pasadena (8-17 and 2-10 in league) to nine points.
In the frame, Tirityan scored six points while Mkrtchyan accounted for a trey and a free throw.
Senior point guard Celine Shamalian (seven points) nailed a three-point shot and junior center Emma Kerr added a hoop.
Burbank’s fourth quarter was also productive as six players scored including junior power forward Sarah Sarquiz, who scored all four points in the stanza.
Kerr contributed a bucket, as did Mkrtchyan while Tirityan hammered in a three-pointer and Shamalian drilled two free throws.
Other Burbank players that scored in the game were junior small forward Stephanie Grigorian and junior small forward Sabrina Zakarian as each tossed in three points.
Meanwhile sophomore forward Mariah Cathcart led the way for Pasadena (27.5 percent on 11 of 40) with 18 points, including 10 points in the first quarter.
Junior guard Gillian Smith was next as she accounted for eight points, sophomore center Taurie Magee added seven points and sophomore forward Nia Cathcart had six points.
Burbank plays at Arcadia on Tuesday with a 5 p.m. start and then travels to Burroughs on Thursday for the yearly showdown that commences at 5:30 p.m.
