By Rick Assad
Playing without the services of senior forward Noor Fahs, perhaps the best player on the Burroughs High girls’ basketball team, proved to be a distinct disadvantage when the host Bears tipped off against Crescenta Valley on Friday night in a Pacific League clash.
Points were few and hard to find for the Bears while the Falcons scored 29 points in the opening half and added 35 in the second to secure a 64-47 victory.
Fahs, who scores and rebounds in double figures, injured her left knee in the previous game and is expected to miss about two weeks.
“Crescenta Valley deserves all the credit. They played a great game and have a lot of weapons and depth and are well coached,” Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan said of the game that featured two of the best teams in the Pacific League and would have been even better if Fahs had played.
Still, it seems that if Fahs had been in the game and had played an average game, the Bears would have stood a better chance at winning or at least making the final score much closer.
The longtime coach addressed what it was like without Fahs.
“When you’re young and your returning senior leader isn’t in the lineup it definitely hurts,” Oganyan said. “I thought we played hard and did some good things. We just need to keep building on that and keep getting better.”
Junior shooting guard Rachel Little was the top point-producer for Burroughs (7-3 and 2-1 in league) with 12 points while junior power forward Izzy Roderick chimed in with 11.
The Falcons (4-4 and 3-0 in league) saw sophomore guard Lulu Arzoumanian drop a game-best 19 points and junior forward Victoria Prochazka and junior guard Taleen Krikorian each added 16 points.
Burroughs, which shot 36.3 percent from the field (16 of 44) played much better in the second half as it scored 36 points, but the first-half deficit of 18 points was too much to escape from.
A 19-point first quarter saw Crecenta Valley (26 of 56 for 46.4 percent) make seven of 13 shots from the floor as Arzoumanian nailed two of her four three-pointers. Krikorian also tallied six points while Prochazka tossed in five points.
The Bears managed just six points in the opening period and five in the second after shooting 20 percent on five of 25 from the floor.
It took a half before Burroughs found any shooting rhythm, but it was welcomed as it produced a 17-point period on six of nine (66.6 percent) shooting while nailing four three-pointers.
Roderick tallied seven points in the quarter after scoring two at the intermission.
The Falcons sank seven of 12 from the floor in the third period as Arzoumanian, Krikorian and Prochazka each scored five points and each nailed a trey.
Seven players scored for the Bears in the fourth quarter including Little, who had seven points.
Burroughs nailed six from three-point range on the evening and Crescenta Valley connected on seven.
Arzoumanian’s eight points in the fourth quarter led the way for the Falcons in the fourth period.
Junior Ivana Razov accounted for six points, junior shooting guard Kylie Indefenzo and freshman point guard Karly Geris each tallied four points.
Senior guard Hailey Dowthaite added two points and sophomore small forward Ashley Martin and freshman Mariam Fahs each had one point.
Burroughs went to the free-throw line 14 times and converted nine for 64.2 percent while Crescenta Valley made five of eight for 62.5 percent.
