It hasn’t been the most memorable holiday season for either the boys’ or girls’ basketball teams from Burroughs. Both head coaches took the time to catch-up with me this week, and some frustration was clear.
Adam Hochberg’s squad dropped three of four in the Santa Barbara Holiday Classic dropping them to 7-6 overall on the nonleague season. Hochberg felt his team played down to the level of the competition throughout the tournament and believed that at least, on paper, his team should have come-up with at least a .500 record in the tournament.
In their finale, the Indians fell to Leuzinger by 18 points after staying close in the first half. “They went to a level in the second half that we just couldn’t match,” he said.
Hochberg called his team’s effort “mediocre at best” and he was clearly disappointed in the effort on display. Although improved from a season ago, the team still isn’t talented enough to simply show-up and expect to beat anyone. The third year coach is hoping that the probably return of Jorge Flores-Pere and Ezkiel Zuniga from injuries will provide a spark. Lawrence White was injured in the final game of the Santa Barbara tournament and will likely be out awhile.
Girls’ coach, Vicky Oganyan continues to be upbeat in what she knows will be a rebuilding year. That said, for an extremely competitive coach coming off of a 25 win season, the morale victories are getting tougher and tougher to enjoy. Thursday, her team fell to Hawthorne, 59-56, to fall to 4-8 on the season.
Aysia Shellmire scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and teammate Davina Del Castillo added 10 rebounds and five assists in a hard fought loss for Burroughs. Delaney Nicol had six points and Sidney Ortega eight. The Tribe plays December 30 versus Pasadena Poly at 4:30 p.m in the West Coast Festival.
On December 28, the Indians were blown out by Harvard Westlake, 68-44. Ortega had nine points, as didJessica Adams. Jakarra Waddell added six points and six rebounds while Aysia Shellmire has a solid all-around effort with six points, five rebounds and five blocks.
