By Rick Assad
Putting the ball in the hoop looks easy, but it can also be trying sometimes. Just ask the Burroughs High boys’ basketball team.
This offensive slump continued when the Bears faced visiting Crescenta Valley which fell behind after the first quarter before rallying for a 64-53 victory that included a 25-point outburst in the fourth quarter of a Pacific League match on Tuesday night.
Burroughs began the contest by pulling ahead 8-0 with 5:52 left on a pair of three-pointers from senior point guard Sam Horning, who led the Bears with 21 points and had five treys and a hoop from senior guard/small forward Elden Jackson (seven points) which prompted the Falcons, who now own an eight-game winning streak, to ask for a time out.
“Our offense is struggling right now, and we need more consistency from quarter to quarter,” Burroughs coach Allan Ellis said of the scoring woes. “CV got to the free-throw line, and we didn’t. We need to do a better job of getting to the basket and getting to the foul line.”
The Falcons, who were led by senior point guard Mikhail Grigoryan’s game-high 23 points then outscored the Bears 16-11, but still trailed 19-13 heading to the second quarter.
Horning dropped two three-pointers for six points in the opening frame and added two more treys in the third period before tallying nine points in the fourth period.
Ellis was pleased that his team showed spunk and believes the Bears will have brighter days.
“I liked our competitiveness and our defense tonight,” he said. “We did a good job on that end of the floor.”
Burroughs (8-8 and 2-2 in league) converted two of 13 for 15.3 percent from the floor in the second quarter.
Crescenta Valley (16-3 and 4-1 in league) outscored the hosts 14-5 in the frame and led 27-24 as junior small forward Derek Najarian scored six of his seven points.
Each team scored a dozen points in the third quarter as Crescenta Valley, which made 19 of 53 shots from the field for 35.8 percent, held on to a 39-36 advantage behind five points from Grigoryan.
The Falcons went to the free-throw line 20 times in the fourth period and made 17 for 85 percent.
Grigoryan’s 14 points paced the Falcons in the fourth quarter as Crescenta Valley made four of eight from the floor for 50 percent.
On the night, Crescenta Valley canned 25 of 30 for 83.3 percent from the charity stripe.
Burroughs made two of three from the free-throw line for 66.6 percent and 20 of 59 from the field for 33.8 percent.
Junior point/shooting guard Chase Kardosh finished with 12 points and all four baskets were three-pointers.
The first came in the second period and two were made in the third quarter and the last was splashed in the fourth period.
Sophomore shooting guard/small forward Landon Everhart scored six points for the Bears, who now have a four-game losing streak, while sophomore point guard/shooting guard Jagger Topp dropped five points and senior guard Tyrell Burrell added a point.
Burroughs drilled 11 from three-point range and Crescenta Valley nailed just one.
