Tag Archives: Burroughs Girls Basketball

A Look Back at the Best of 2018

Leave a reply

The 2018 year in sports in Burbank was not the best, nor the worst on record. The best individual performances were in track and field, as Burroughs Jagdeep Chahal was the CIF Southern Section Division 1 champion in the boys 1,600 meters. Elizabeth Switzer led the Burroughs girls’ track team by qualifying for the state championships in the pole vault. Burroughs golfer Kiara Hernandez was also outstanding in being the best in the Pacific League. The following is a look back at the best teams that Burbank and Burroughs highs put forth in 2018.

10. Burroughs boys soccer
The Indians went 15-9-1 in 2018 and finished second in the Pacific League with a young core that was made up mostly of sophomores.
Carlos Rosales led the midfield and Carter Wells became the heart of the defense. Freshman Manny Gonzalez scored 16 goals, a program record under coach Mike Kodama. This group will get only better in 2019 and 2020.
9. Burroughs softball
The Indians finished runner-up to Crescenta Valley in the Pacific League standings. But Burroughs once again put together a solid season, finishing with a 14-5-1 record and advancing to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs. Pitcher Presley Miraglia moved to play at Cal State Long Beach.
8. Burroughs girls soccer
The Indians had a stellar season going 15-3-3 overall to place second in league. Burroughs won its first CIF Southern Section playoff game since 2009 with a wild-card victory over Brentwood School. Freshman Lauryn Bailey and junior Abbie Riggs were two of the Indians’ key offensive players. Olivia Cashman and Emily McHorney were two other top players.
7. Burroughs girls cross country
The Indians finished second in the Pacific League behind Burbank, ending a domination by Crescenta Valley and or Arcadia, that had won the league title every year for more than a quarter century. Burroughs also went on to advance to the CIF Southern Section finals. Sophomore Jordan Guzman and freshman Sophia Navarro led the way for a team that figures to have created arguably the most competitive rivalry with Burbank High of any in the city.
6. Burbank football
The Bulldogs turned in yet another fine season, even though they lost the league title to Arcadia. Burbank won every game it was expected to win and put together a fine 7-4 campaign. Seniors Matthew Porras, Erik Harutyunyan and Duncan Smith will definitely be remembered for the mark they left at the school and all are projected to play in college.
5. Burroughs girls basketball

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

The Indians turned in another fine season in 2018, finishing with a 23-8 record and a share of the Pacific League title. The team was blessed with a solid freshmen core who are now sophomores, led by Faith Boulanger and Kayla Wrobel. This has consistently been one of the top teams in the city under veteran coach Vicky Oganyan and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.
4. Burbank boys track and field

The Bulldogs captured the Pacific League dual meet title in coach Darin Wolf’s final season. Burbank counted on hurdler Sergio Aguilar, as well as a solid sprint crew led by Cole Le’au, Oladele Hospidales and Bryan David. Victor Goli led a deep and young distance running core.
3. Burroughs girls volleyball

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

The Indians had an outstanding season under coach Edwin Real. capturing the Pacific League title. Burroughs went 27-9 and reached the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section 3 playoffs, narrowly losing to eventual CIF champion Village Christian in five games. Juliana Van Loo went on to earn All-CIF honors. Burroughs figures to be strong again next year with Lydia Grote returning to lead the way.
2. Burroughs boys volleyball

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

The Indians won their ninth consecutive Pacific League title under coach Joel Brinton. Burroughs also advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, only to be eliminated by national power Loyola of Los Angeles. Diego Rosal and Cole Kaitz were the leaders for Burroughs.

1. Burbank girls cross country

Sol Fernandez

The Bulldogs won their first league title outright since 1978 and advanced to the CIF Finals, finishing 10th in Division 1. Burbank was led by senior Shalom Mejia and junior Sol Fernandez. Although this was an experienced group that will lose several top runners to graduation, there is a great group coming up replace those that will depart. Expect Burbank to be very strong again in 2019.

Burroughs Girls Basketball Stunned by Pasadena

Leave a reply

(Photo By Ross A Benson)

The race to the Pacific League title just got a little more difficult for the Burroughs High girls’ basketball team.

The Indians, winners of at least a share of the league title five out of the last six years, got edged out at home Thursday night by upstart Pasadena High, which rallied for a 57-56 win.

“In the fourth quarter we made too many mistakes,” Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan said. “I thought we played hard. I liked today’s effort. Our effort was better, but we still made some mistakes.”
Burroughs (10-3, 3-2 in the league) traded the lead 12 times with the visiting Bulldogs.
The Indians led by as many as 10 at one point in the third quarter and by as much as six in the final quarter.

But the Indians were unable to maintain the momentum.
A short jumper by Kayla Wrobel gave Burroughs a 56-55 lead with 1:13 to play. Following a timeout, Pasadena’s Sydney Brumfield came back to score with 1:03 left, giving the Bulldogs only their second lead of the second half. But Burroughs would not score again.

(Photo By Ross A Benson)

“That’s what we’re working on. We’re trying to put together a whole game where we’re playing well offensively and defensively,” Oganyan said.
Pasadena (6-3, 4-1) received a stellar performance from junior Kamesha Moore, who scored 21 of her game-high 27 points in the second half.

(Photo By Ross A Benson)

“I think this team is beginning to start seeing themselves more seriously and see themselves as a contender,” first-year Pasadena coach Melissa Sanchez said. “They know they should be the team to beat. I think that building their confidence in their abilities together rather than separate has been the key focus this year.”

Pasadena jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the game before Burroughs came back to take a 10-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Indians extended the lead to 31-25 at halftime.

Burroughs led 39-29 following a three-point play by sophomore Faith Boulanger with 5:45 left in the third quarter. Pasadena fought back to tie things at 44 heading into the final quarter.
Burroughs was led by Boulanger, who had 20 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Wrobel, who is also a sophomore, had 12 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

Freshman Noor Fahs had 10 points for Burroughs. Dyani Del Castillo had six points. Camryn Lotka and A’sia Morales each had three points for the Indians and Nicole Rumfola had two points.

Burroughs Girls Basketball Gets Job Done in Win Over Buena

Leave a reply

If anyone is going to knock Buena High out of the CIF Southern Section playoffs in girls’ basketball they have to be doing something right.

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

Burroughs High met that challenge Thursday night and came out successful, defeating the most victorious program in state history 41-38 in first round of the Division 2AA playoffs.

“It feels so great,” said Burroughs freshman Faith Boulanger, who had a game-high 16 points along with nine rebounds. “I’m excited because nobody expected to go this far. We heard they had a really good coach and we were like gosh this is not going to be good. But then we realized we just need to keep calm and our coach does a great job scouting out other teams so we know what to do when it comes to it.”

Burroughs (22-7) didn’t panic after Buena came out pressing defensively to start the game.

“At first we weren’t ready,” Boulanger said. “Once we got used to it and calmed down we were able to handle it really well.”

Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan praised her team for its defensive effort.

“I thought we did a good job defensively because I think they’ve been averaging in the 60s. I was worried about their offense,” Oganyan said. “I have a lot of respect for both of the coaches there.  They have a great team and a good program.

Burroughs will play at JSerra High in San Juan Capistrano on Saturday in a second-round contest.

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

Buena coach David Guenther, who is in his 11th year as the head coach after taking the over the program from Joe Vaughn, the winningest high school girls’ coach in state history, praised Burroughs.

“They (Burroughs) were prepared. They did a great job defensively. They threw some stuff at us that the kids weren’t ready for. We have a lot of youth,” said Guenther, who ironically is now assisted by Vaughn.” They executed a game plan and bothered us. We just couldn’t get things to fall offensively. She (Oganyan) did a great job preparing them to stop us offensively. We’re used to getting some more points off of our defensive intensity and turnovers.”

Buena (13-10), which last year became the first girls’ basketball program in state history to reach 1,000 wins, gave Burroughs difficulty at first and led 14-9 at the end of the first period.

But Burroughs went on a 10-0 run in the second quarter paced by three-pointers from Ariana Farias and Jillian Kukawski.

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

Buena fought back to tie things at 21 on a basket by its star player, Gianna Falccochia, who led her team with 11 points.

But a basket by Kayla Wrobel with 32 seconds left in the first half broke the tie and although Buena remained close throughout the second half, it would never be on par with Burroughs again.

Martin Grote had eight points and five blocks. Wrobel finished with seven points, Farias had four and Dyani Del Castillo and Kukawski each had three points.

Burroughs Girls Basketball Puts a Stop to Arcadia

Leave a reply

The Burroughs High girls’ basketball team knew something had to change at halftime.

Luckily for the Indians, it did and in a big way.

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

Burroughs put together a strong second-half effort on the defensive end in holding off visiting Arcadia 44-38 in a Pacific League contest Tuesday.

“In the second half we definitely played better defense,” Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan said. “We talked about it at halftime, going back to man to man and defending and keeping people in front of you, contesting the shot and rebounding.”

Burroughs (14-8 overall, 5-3 in the league) jumped out to a 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter led by a pair of three-pointers from Ariana Farias. But the Indians struggled in the second quarter, lost the lead and trailed 26-22 at halftime.

Burroughs’ comeback was helped by the play of freshman Faith Boulanger. She scored six of her team-high 12 points in the third quarter.

The Indians still trailed, 32-30, going into the fourth quarter when the defensive effort significantly changed.

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

“We pretty much held them to one shot,” Oganyan said.

Burroughs went on a 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter, getting superb efforts from Marin Grote, Nicole Rumfola, and Jill Kukawski.

Arcadia (8-10 overall, 2-6 in the league) didn’t score its first points of the fourth quarter until just 1:44 remained in the contest when Annie Tran threw a run in the jumper.

The Apaches cut the lead to 40-36 with 36 seconds to play.

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

But Burroughs was tough at the free-throw line as Rumfola and Kukawski each sank a pair of free throws to keep things from getting interesting.

Grote finished with nine points for Burroughs. Kukawski had seven points, Rumfola and Farias each had six points. Kayla Wrobel and A’sia Morales each had two points.

 

 

Burroughs Girls Basketball Falls to Hueneme in West Coast Holiday Festival

Leave a reply

With a young team that includes three freshmen starters, the Burroughs High girls’ basketball will certainly have some growing pains.

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

Wednesday night was one of those as the Indians fell 61-49 at home to Hueneme High in the second round of the West Coast Holiday Festival.

Hueneme (9-0) used its quickness and full-court press to frustrate Burroughs.

“We’ve faced all kinds of presses. It’s not the first time we’ve faced the full court,” Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan said. “I actually thought we did okay handling it. We’ve gotten better with that stuff.”

Burroughs (7-4) at times did indeed do well with the press. But Hueneme caught fire offensively in the second half and ran away with things in the end.

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

“They hit some shots. The two guards they have are pretty good guards,” Oganyan said. “They caught fire in the third quarter. We have to be able to play better defense and rebound the ball. We had opportunities where we let them get second chances.”

Burroughs led 21-19 at halftime. But Hueneme hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter alone and started the fourth quarter with yet another 3-pointer.

“It took them a little time to get warmed up. They usually don’t take this long to warm up, but I’m glad that they did warm up,” said Hueneme coach Katalina Martinez, who praised her team’s defensive effort. “Our pressure defense helps us stay in games like this when we’re playing against tall and strong teams.”

Hueneme began the second half on a 6-0 run and Burroughs never recovered.

Freshman Kayla Wrobel had seven of her team-high 15 points in the quarter for the Indians. She also had 10 rebounds. Ayumi DeHerrera had back-to-back baskets late in the quarter to make close the gap to 39-35. She finished with five points and six rebounds.

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

But Hueneme stormed right back by going on an 8-0 run led by a 3-pointer from Isabel Ayala to make it 47-35.

Burroughs fought back to make it 47-42 with 4:14 to play following a basket by Marin Grote.

But Hueneme once again bounced right back essentially put the game out of reach with just over a minute to play when Vanessa Smart hit a pair of free throws to make it 55-44.

Freshman Faith Boulanger had 10 points and eight rebounds for Burroughs.

Grote had seven points and nine rebounds. Nicole Rumfola had four points for Burroughs. Dyani Del Castillo, Camryn Lotka, Jill Kukawski and Jenny Galvan each had two points.

Burroughs Girls Basketball Shuts Down Burbank

Leave a reply

By Nareg Atteukenian

The Burroughs High girls’ basketball lost to rival Burbank on their home floor earlier this season.

Thursday night in the regular season finale, the Indians returned the favor, defeating the host Bulldogs 37-22.

“It was more of our defense and Burbank struggled in their first half shooting,” said Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan of the first half effort, which saw her team lead 23-11 at halftime.

Burroughs (18-11 overall, 8-4 in league) outplayed the Bulldogs and kept their guards from getting into a rhythm.

“The conversation at halftime was to make the passes we needed to make, take the shots we needed to take,” Burbank coach John Wells on the changes at the half. “We had some open looks tonight, (but) they didn’t fall.”

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

Burbank (14-15, 5-7) attempted to rally in the second half of the game but it was too little, too late.

“They came to shut down Ani and Osanna… and myself as a coach,” said Burbank’s coach John Wells about the game. “We needed to make some adjustments and I didn’t make them, and I let this team down tonight.”

Jocelyn Rieken led the Indians in scoring with 14 points. Kamryn Cardenaz had 11 points. Marin Grote had four points and Ariana Farias had three points. A’sia Morales and Caitlyn Pentland each had two points and Angelica Davtyan had one point.

From the Bulldogs, Osanna Tirityan led the way with seven points. Emma Kerr added six points. Sarah Sarquiz, Stephanie Grigorian, and Ani Sarkisyan each had three points.

Burroughs Girls Basketball Gets Revenge on Glendale

Leave a reply

By Nareg Atteukenian

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

The Burroughs High girls’ basketball team had something to prove Friday night when the Indians hosted Glendale High.

After seeing the Nitros snap their the 45-game Pacific League game win streak earlier in the season , the Indians came out looking to make a statement.

This time Burroughs got off to a fast start and cruised to an easy 52-30 victory.

“Offensively we had more confidence,” said Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan in comparison to the previous game against Glendale. “Our defensive plan wasn’t that much different.”

Burroughs (16-10 overall, 7-3 in league) played an extraordinary first half, coming away with a 26-12 lead at the end of it.

Having not played much of the first half in the previous game against Glendale, Burroughs guard Kamryn Cardenaz made a significant difference for the Indians.

“I wanted to come out early, and the rest of my teammates were all on the same page,” said Burroughs guard Kamryn Cardenaz.

Cardenaz hit three three-pointers in the first half, and gave the Indians the added confidence they were missing in the previous game.

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

Burroughs went into the second half with a 12-point lead.  The Indians showed they weren’t done, by going on an 18-7 run in the third quarter to help pad their lead and cruise to victory in the fourth quarter.

The Indians had their foot on the gas on the entire game and never seemed to ease off of it.

Cardenaz led the Indians in scoring with 20 points, A’sia Morales had eight points. Marin Grote had seven points and Ariana Farias added five points. Jocelyn Rieken had four points and Breana Bauer had three points. Angelia Davtyan had two points, and Jillian Kukawski had one point.

2016 Was a Year to Remember in Sports for Burbank and Burroughs

Leave a reply

If there is one thing most people in Burbank will agree on it is that 2016 was the best year on record for sports at Burroughs and Burbank highs.

Three teams appeared in CIF Southern Section championship games or matches and that isn’t counting Burroughs boys’ cross country team, which also put together a solid season.

Myburbank.com takes a look at the top 10 teams of the 2016 calendar year.

10. Burbank boys’ basketball

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

The young Bulldogs’ squad put together an impressive season going 20-11 overall, 8-6 in league. But it was postseason play that earned this team on this list. Led by junior Michael Woods, Burbank reached the quarterfinals of the Division 2-AA playoffs.  Burbank won on the road at Garden Grove and then defeated El Toro. Both opponents came in having won more than 20 games. In the quarterfinals, the Bulldogs hung tough for a long time before falling to Loyola of Los Angeles.

9. Burroughs baseball

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

The Indians (19-7) started the season as hot as any team, winning the prestigious Easton Tournament by defeating eventual CIF Southern Section Division 1 finalist Harvard-Westlake in the final. The Indians went on to earn a share of a second consecutive Pacific League crown, despite losing virtually its entire starting lineup to graduation from the previous year. It was the first time in school history that Burroughs won league titles in consecutive years. Burroughs’ season ended in the first round of the CIF playoffs with a loss to Rancho Cucamonga. Highlights included pitcher Kyle Nicol signing a letter of intent with Cal State Northridge. Teammate Shaine Leonard signed with the University of Antelope Valley.

8. Burroughs boys’ basketball

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

The Indians put together a 22-8 season and reached the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1-A playoffs for the first time since 1990, when Burroughs was knocked out by an Artesia team that featured future-NBA players Ed and Charles O’Bannon. In 2016, Burroughs lost to Santa Monica, the eventual CIF champion. Junior Tristen Hull earned All-CIF honors. Guard Steven Hubbell signed with California Lutheran University. Coach Adam Hochberg stepped down after the season to spend more time with his family.

7. Burbank boys’ track

The Bulldogs won a league title in boys’ track and field for the first time in 31 years. Burbank also did it without relying too much on its distance runners, which have traditionally been the strength of the program. Hurdler Martin Swan, jumper Noah Powell and sprinters Josh Cantong and Joey Miller were the leaders of the team. All four qualified for the CIF finals as a 1,600 meter relay team.

6. Burroughs boys’ cross country

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

This is a team that going into the season looked like a strong contender to win its second CIF title in three years and one that could have very easily been the top team in the city. The Indians shared the Pacific League title with Arcadia even though Burroughs won two of the three league meets and only lost on a sixth man tie-breaker in the league final. Burroughs ran very well in CIF preliminaries and looked like a serious contender to win in the finals. But this team fell well short and surprisingly missed qualifying for the state meet. This team should be motivated for next season after this season’s disappointing finish. Several key runners return next season led by Alexander Hirsch, Jagdeep Chahal and Jacob Calderon. A CIF title is within reach in 2017.

5. Burroughs girls’ basketball

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

The Indians dominated league by going 14-0, 24-8 overall and reaching the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1-A playoffs.  Ironically, Burroughs lost on the road in the semifinals at Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach. Mira Costa then lost in the final to Crescenta Valley, a team Burroughs defeated twice in winning the Pacific League. Jordan Meltzer led the Indians as she shared the Pacific League Player of the Year honor with Crescenta Valley’s Alissa Shin.

4. Burroughs softball

The Indians had an outstanding season led by sophomore pitcher Presley Miraglia, who was named the Pacific League Player of the Year and earned All-CIF honors for a second time. Burroughs went 24-5 on the season and lost 7-0 in the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs to Grand Terrace, the eventual champion and one of the top rated teams in the nation. Coach Doug Nicol stepped down after the season so he could spend more time watching his kids play sports in college.

3. Burroughs boys’ water polo

A CIF champion in the third spot some might say? Yes, Burroughs had an outstanding season in winning the CIF Southern Section Division 5 title. However, one must remember the Indians did not win the Pacific League title. Their opposition in the playoffs was certainly not elite. There are also some questions marks around this team as several key players have not been students at Burroughs throughout their entire high school careers. In fact, several are transfers from Burbank High. But this team will almost certainly be higher up on the list next year as the main core of players return for their senior seasons, led by CIF MVP David Arakelyan, J.J. Ambartsumyan and Marko Vucetic.

2. Burbank football

The Bulldogs captured the hearts of many of the city. For the first time in 30 years a local football team played for a CIF Southern Section title.

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

After finishing second in the Pacific League, the Bulldogs were clearly a different team in the playoffs, dominating most of their opponents until the final when it was bothered by an unexpected call of Mother Nature. Still nobody will forget this group that grew up together led by Guy Gibbs, Nick Warren, Forest Fajardo and Jake Kelley. These kids should all be in the Burbank High Sports Hall of Fame one day.  Coach Richard Broussard stepped down at the end of the season.

1. Burroughs boys’ volleyball

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

The Indians won their seventh consecutive Pacific League title and were clearly the most talented team in the city. Led by a veteran group that included setter Ryan Van Loo and outside hitters Andrew D’Almada and Cameron Capili, the Indians overcame a loss to Oak Park in the CIF Southern Section championship by defeating that same team a week later in CIF Southern California State Regional tournament.

 

In closing, it was very hard to make a top-10 list. There were a couple of teams that were very good that did not make the list but deserve honorable mention. Those were the Burbank and Burroughs girls’ soccer teams. The Burroughs boys’ soccer team also had a solid season as did the Burbank girls’ tennis team, the Burbank girls’ basketball team and Burroughs girls’ golf team and volleyball teams.

We want to wish the best of luck to all Burbank and Burroughs teams in 2017.

 

Burroughs, Burbank Girls Basketball Reach For Sky

Leave a reply
By Rick Assad

 

It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the Burroughs High and Burbank girls’ basketball teams finish in the top half of the Pacific League and make a long run in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

The Indians, who were 24-6 a season ago, have advanced to the semifinals the last two years and have gone undefeated in league action at 14-0 for three straight campaigns under Coach Vicky Oganyan.

The Bulldogs qualified for the postseason last year, but lost in the opening round to Garden Grove.

Burroughs commences its league schedule on Jan. 3 against Pasadena while Burbank travels to Crescenta Valley.

On Jan. 20 the Indians host the Bulldogs and on Feb. 9 Burroughs visits rival Burbank.

For first-year Burbank Coach John Wells, he has high expectations provided the team continues to improve which he expects them to do.

The projected starters for Oganyan include 5-foot-8 senior guard Kamryn Cardenaz, 5-8 senior forward Haley Wilson, 5-9 senior forward Jocelyn Rieken, 6-4 junior center Marin Grote and 5-3 sophomore guard Ariana Farias.

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

Cardenaz and Wilson will be the primary scorers, but both will be expected to rebound and play defense, which are staples of Oganyan’s team.

Grote, who was tabbed all-league second-team, will be counted upon to score, but her primarily responsibility is to play defense, rebound and block shots. She is committed to the University of Washington for volleyball.

“My expectations are to have my team improve each game and to put in the preparation during practice so we will be good when league starts,” Oganyan said.

Oganyan, who played at Glendale High, knows that she and her team have an extremely high standard, but it’s not only about going undefeated in league.

“We don’t worry about that,” she said. “We’re concerned about getting better each game and if we’re getting better, that’s all we’re concerned about.”

The rest of the team consists of 5-6 senior guard Breana Bauer, 5-10 senior center Caitlyn Pentland, 5-7 senior forward Angelia Davtyan, 5-7 sophomore guard Jill Kukawski and 5-2 sophomore guard Ayumi DeHerrera.

Others include 5-6 sophomore guard Camryn Lotka, 5-8 sophomore forward Nicole Rumfola, 5-5 sophomore guard Emily Gutierrez, 5-5 freshman guard Sophie Hawkins and 5-5 freshman guard A’sia Morales.

The Bulldogs finished 18-11 and 8-6 in league action and the roster consists of eight seniors, three sophomores and one freshman.

“League will be very competitive this year,” Wells said. “There are a handful of teams that can all beat one another and we should be right in that mix.”

Sophomore shooting guard Osanna Tirityan is 5-8 and she paced the Bulldogs in scoring and rebounding.

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

Tirityan, who was named all-league first-team, will be asked to do as much and perhaps even more.

“Osanna took the league by storm as a freshman and now they know her and she’s going to improve this year,” Wells said.

Senior point guard Ani Sarkisyan is 5-6, the floor leader and one of the captains along with 5-8 senior forward Sarah Sarquiz, who has been bothered by a knee injury at the end of her sophomore season.

Both have been on the varsity for three seasons and expectations will be greater this season for both.

Senior center Emma Kerr is 6-1 and a capable scorer, but is especially adept at blocking shots and rebounding.

Kerr led the team in blocks a season ago. “Emma is a force in the middle,” Wells said.

The rest of the team includes 5-10 senior forward Sabrina Zakarian, 5-5 senior guard Stephanie Grigorian, 5-6 senior guard Emily Pennings and 5-5 senior small forward Kaitlynn Hanno.

The remainder of the squad includes 5-11 senior forward Ashley Machuca, 5-10 sophomore forward Robyn Kassens, 5-9 sophomore forward Sofia Aslanyan and 5-5 freshman guard Brianna Castro.

Fountain Valley Shocks Burroughs in Upset, 61-57

Leave a reply
Burroughs struggled to keep Fountain Valley at bay in the loss (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Burroughs struggled to keep Fountain Valley at bay in the loss (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

By Rick Assad
Special to BurbankNBeyond

In a season that delivered far more victories than defeats, the Burroughs High girls’ basketball team struggled from the outset in a surprising 61-57 loss to Fountain Valley in the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Division IA playoffs.

Bailee Trotta of Burroughs defends a Fountain Valley player (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Bailee Trotta of Burroughs defends a Fountain Valley player (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

The Indians dug a hole that was simply too deep in the opening half, and could not fully recover as the Barons fended off a late charge and claimed the upset on Saturday.

Burroughs, the No. 8 seed, had a miserable night shooting from the field, making 27.7 percent (20 of 72), but improved slightly in the second half when it hit 31.5 percent (12 of 38).

“I think we missed like 20 layups in the first half,” Burroughs Coach Vicky Oganyan said. “I knew it was a tough draw even though we had a better record. Fountain Valley has been through this before. They have more seniors who have been in the playoffs. We really only have one [Aysia Shellmire].”

If not for the overall play of Shellmire in the second half, the Barons (12-15) could have coasted at the end.

Though Burroughs was outrebounded, 25-13, in the opening half, the Indians pounded the boards in the second half to the tune of 31-13. The effort was a little too late.

“It’s tough to come back,” Oganyan said. “The kids have to calm down and make shots. It’s competition. You just have to do it, but we didn’t.”  

Aysia Shellmire, #14, capped off a spectacular career scoring 24 points (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Aysia Shellmire, #14, capped off a spectacular career scoring 24 points (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

The Indians (23-5) rallied to tie it at 50-50 with less than two minutes showing on the clock when Shellmire, a senior who had a game-high 24 points, scored inside the painted area. 

Fountain Valley gathered itself, didn’t flinch, and outscored Burroughs, 11-7, the rest of the way.

Senior shooting guard Jasmine Matar’s two three-pointers during this span helped stem Burroughs’ rally. Matar’s second trey gave the Barons a 56-52 lead as she finished with eight points.

That Fountain Valley toils in a highly-competitive league proved critical according to Head Coach Cory Clarke.

“It’s a huge factor that we play in the Sunset League,” Clarke said. “We have to play some of the best teams like Edison, Huntington Beach and Los Alamitos. There are five solid teams in the Sunset League.”

Shellmire scored three points in the opening half in which the Indians trailed 15-11 after the first quarter, and 35-20 at the intermission, but the 6-1 center dropped in 21 points in the second half to lead the valiant comeback.

The Indians Paula Galicia dribbles up court against pressure (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

The Indians Paula Galicia dribbles up court against pressure (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Fountain Valley junior point guard Danielle Kennedy was the game-changer as she set the tone with her ball-handling skills and passing ability.

Kennedy, who finished with a team-best 19 points, was able to penetrate into the lane, and either distribute the ball to an open teammate or take her own shot.

In the fourth quarter, Kennedy tallied five points, including three points at the charity stripe and was a steady influence when the Indians made their late kick.

Fountain Valley, which finished 3-7 in league for fourth place, came out and drilled seven of 14 shots in the opening quarter as senior center Kelcie Mayott (12 points) dropped in six points, while Kennedy had five points.

Junior shooting guard Sidney Ortega (14 points) kept the Indians close by scoring five points, but Burroughs, which shared the championship in the Pacific League at 12-2, made five of 20 attempts from the floor.

The Barons, who shot 60 percent (15 of 25) in the first half, erupted for a 20-point second quarter behind seven points from Kennedy and six points from junior power forward Emily Krause (13 points).

Burroughs was having a tough time from the field and seemed out of sorts with Ortega the only effective player as she scored nine points in the first 16 minutes of action.

Jakarra Waddell closes out on a shooter (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Jakarra Waddell closes out on a shooter (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Shellmire scored four points to begin the third quarter, but the Indians then missed six shots before Shellmire, who added 10 points in the stanza, scored on consecutive hoops as Burroughs came within 42-31 at the 4:25 mark. 

Fountain Valley, which made 37.5 percent (nine of 24) in the second half, converted six of 14 from the floor in the third quarter with Krause tallying five points as the Barons led 48-36 entering the fourth quarter.

Burroughs’ shooting woes continued into the final quarter, drilling seven of 18 attempts as Shellmire tallied 11 points, while junior power forward Jakarra Waddell (seven points) had five.

The Indians rallied to tie it at 50 apiece but this night belonged to Fountain Valley as it advanced to the second round of the CIF Playoffs.