By Rick Assad
For all three girls’ basketball programs, the future appears bright for Burroughs High, Burbank and Providence.
The Bears were 25-6 and 12-2 for second place in the Pacific League last season and advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division II A quarterfinals and had wins over Paloma Valley 62-37, Aquinas 64-38 but lost to Santa Margarita 47-33 in the quarterfinals.
Longtime Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan reached 400 victories in her career that began in 2004 after getting three wins while the team was recently in Hawaii.
“This year’s team has a lot more experience with many returning from last year’s squad. We have great team chemistry, and they work hard,” she said. “I love coaching this group and I’m looking forward to the season.”
Oganyan spoke about the nonleague portion of the schedule.
“Our nonleague schedule should be tougher than last year and the league is expected to be challenging as well,” she noted. “The way the playoff structure is going to be, it is important that we qualify for the playoffs through league placement.”
Oganyan went on: “The league schedule is going to be something to adjust to as they have switched to the tournament style after round one,” she said. “We are looking forward to the competition ahead and excited to see what we can do as a group.”
The Bears will be led by senior guard Mariam Fahs, junior center Valentina Morales and junior guard Elizabeth Amoroso.
“I think for this season we have a lot of potential and great team chemistry, so I’m excited to see everything we can do,” Fahs said of the campaign.
The other seniors on the team are forward Ella Anderson and forward Isabella Davtyan.
Also on the team are four juniors guard Alyssa Pracha, Anna Phillips, Grace Barton and Gabriella Buendia.
The rest of the squad includes two sophomores, guard Jessica Mena and forward Polina Gorgeiz and one freshman, guard Isabella Amayakyan.
The Bulldogs are coming off a season in which they went 7-19 and 4-10 for sixth in league but are primed for a better season under first-year coach Alexa Mirzaian.
“We know the Pacific League will always be competitive. My goal this year is to develop this team of talented girls to play hard, play together, and play with grit and chemistry,” Mirzaian offered. “My coaches and I want this team to improve with every game and grow into the absolute best version of themselves. If we can do that, the season will be a huge success.”
The Burbank High roster is composed of seven seniors, and they are Ava Casey at power forward/center, Lauren Navarro at center, Emily Galoustian at shooting guard/small forward, Alex Richins at shooting guard/small forward, Leandra Nazarian at point guard, Mary Mkrtchyan at small forward/power forward and Taliyah Herdsman at power forward/center.
There are two juniors on the team, and they include Charlotte Hartwell at guard and Yvette Soukiazian at point guard/shooting guard.
Four sophomores are on the Bulldog roster, and they are Andrea Aparicio at point guard/shooting guard, Anabelle Setaghian at guard/forward, Natalie Mergerdichian at guard and Jolene Vartanian at forward.
The Pioneers carved out an 18-7 mark and 9-3 for second place in the Prep League and went to the second round of the Division III AA playoffs after knocking off Bishop Diego 58-40 but losing to Torrance 46-34.
Providence is coached by Danielle Roumbos and she believes the team will be successful and perhaps even better this season with hard work and determination.
“The Prep League is shaping up to be highly competitive this year with several strong teams in the mix,” Roumbos said. “As a first-year coach, I am proud of the hard work and dedication my team has shown in preparing for the season. We have been focused on improving our fundamental skills, developing our teamwork, and building a strong foundation for success.”
Roumbos hopes the Pioneers will be a viable team overall and in league.
“I am confident that our hard work will pay off and that we will be competitive in the league,” she added. “We are excited to see how the season unfolds and are looking forward to the challenges and opportunities it will bring.”
The Pioneers’ roster includes seniors Natalie Manoukian, Hayden McGuan, Celine Demirjian, Maribel Matar and Ariana Najarian.
The juniors are Evangelina Aleman, Zara Ovanessian, Taline Kadi and Zoe Tsao and there is one freshman, Roxie Kreamer.
