By Rick Assad
There were no style points handed out, but it was a win and that’s the most important statistic Burroughs High girls’ basketball coach Vicky Oganyan will take with her.
On Thursday night, the Bears shot 16.6 percent from the field on eight for 48 and 71.4 percent on 10 of 14 from the free-throw line and behind a co-game-best 12 points from freshman point guard Malia Harney, prevailed 29-24 over visiting Glendale in a Pacific League opener.
The Nitros connected on 15.3 of their shots (six of 39) and made 44.4 of their free throws (eight of 18).
“It was more of a defensive battle. We did enough to win,” said Oganyan of the uneven game.
Seven of Harney’s points came in the opening half as the Bears led 18-13.
Senior forward Isabella Roderick, who collected seven rebounds, tossed in four of her five points across the first 16 minutes of action.
Senior point guard Ivana Razov added three points and scooped up eight caroms and had four steals, four assists and four blocks for the Bears.
Oganyan played for the Nitros from 1993 through 1997 and was a two-year varsity starter during her junior and senior seasons.
In that final campaign, Oganyan, a point guard, tossed in an average of 17 points per game.
“I have great memories from when I went and played at Glendale High,” she said. “When competing against them in the league, we prepare and coach and compete just like we would any other team we go up against. Outside of that I love to see them being successful.”
It was deadlocked at 7-7 after the first quarter and the Bears (5-3 and 1-0 in league) darted ahead 18-13 at the intermission.
The Bears were held to six points in the third period that included a three-pointer from Harney and led 24-19.
Burroughs converted two of 20 in the second half for just 10 percent.
The fourth period saw the Bears tally five points as Razov scored a basket while Harney sank two free throws and Broderick tossed in a single charity shot.
Junior shooting guard/small forward Sella Koshkerian finished with a team-best 12 points for the Nitros (5-2 and 0-1 in league) and tallied 10 points at halftime that included a pair of three-pointers.
Rachel Little didn’t score any points but felt better after the win knowing the future is going to be bright.
“I think we all had a lot of nerves going into the game, with it being our first league game,” said the senior guard. “But we were able to find a lot of open shots and opportunities to score which will be good for us later on, once we work on finishing our shots and finishing around the rim.”
Senior guard Kayla Indefenzo nailed a three-pointer in the second quarter for the Bears.
Others who scored for Burroughs, which canned six of 28 from the floor in the first half for 21.4 percent, included junior forward Mia Paz who delivered two points, while sophomore guard Mariam Fahs contributed two points and sophomore guard Skylar Cafferty added two points.
