Tag Archives: Kayla Wrobel

Burroughs Girls Hoops Steamroll Rival Burbank, 71-34

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By Rick Assad

 

With the help of three players that reached double figures for the Burroughs High girls’ basketball team, the Indians were barely taxed in a showdown with city rival Burbank.

Behind Faith Boulanger’s game-best 20 points, host Burroughs cruised to an easy 71-34 win over the Bulldogs in a Pacific League match before a packed house on Friday night.

Faith Boulanger tries to block a shot during Friday’s 71-34 win over visiting Burbank. Boulanger scored a game-high 20 points. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

“We had higher energy and we were more conditioned,” said Boulanger, who had six steals. “I was pretty like excited and nervous. I’ve been with this team and I trust them and I know when we put our mind to it, we can do anything we want.”

Boulanger, a sophomore center, thought she played well, but said there’s room for improvement.

“I think personally I had a pretty good overall game,” she said. “I could have done some better things on defense. I could have helped more outside on one of their better players [Osanna Tirityan] and I could have taken some charges instead of blocking her shot.”

After hitting nine of 19 attempts in the first quarter, the Indians rolled ahead 20-10 with senior forward Nicole Rumfola (seven rebounds and four assists) scoring 11 of her 19 points while sophomore guard Dyani Del Castillo (14 points) dropped in five.

Burbank’s Emily Gutierrez is being defended by Camry Lotka. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

“I would say this is probably the best we’ve played for sure,” Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan said. “This is the most complete game we’ve played.”

Oganyan said the rivalry between Burroughs and Burbank is nice and certainly special, but you can’t make it bigger than what it is.

“We prepared for this game like any other game,” Oganyan noted. “I know both teams are going to be up for the game. I think the difference was that we shot the ball with confidence.”

The Bulldogs (13 of 40 for 32.5 percent) were held to four of nine from the floor in the first period as sophomore small forward Jayla Flowers (nine points) and senior swingman Tirityan (team-high 14 points) each scored three points.

Dyani Del Castillo tallied 14 points for the Indians and hit four three-pointers. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

“We had no energy,” Burbank coach Jett Del Mundo said. “I think we were playing against the ghosts of last year. We made every play bigger than it needed to be. This was like a good league matchup. No one was going to win a championship.”

Boulanger canned a pair of three-pointers in the second quarter and had 10 points at halftime after tallying four points in the first period.

The Indians (15-6 and 5-3 in league) converted 14 of 24 shots at the intermission and were ahead 33-20, while the Bulldogs (13-8 and 5-3 in league) made eight of 19.

Del Castillo (six rebounds and four steals) nailed two of her four three-pointers in the third quarter and Boulanger added the third of four treys as the Indians hit five of 17 shots.

Faith Boulanger takes a jump shot and scored 10 points in each half and also collected six steals. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Flowers garnered four points in the third quarter for the Bulldogs, who will host the Indians on Jan. 31, and managed three of 11 from the floor and trailed 46-26 heading into the fourth quarter.

“Jayla played well, but she still had moments I wished she did things differently. But this is high school basketball,” Del Mundo said.

Nine players scored for the Indians (39.3 percent on 26 of 66 from the field) in the final frame with Boulanger scoring seven points and Rumfola dropping in four points.

Burroughs, which made nine from three-point range, drilled 10 of 17 from the free-throw line (58.8 percent).

Burbank, which hit two treys, made six of 12 (50 percent) from the charity line and was outrebounded, 40-32.

Burroughs sophomore power forward Kayla Wrobel accounted for three points, but pulled down a game-best 11 rebounds.

Senior point guard Ariana Farias scored four points and finished with five assists and five steals for the Indians.

Junior guard A’sia Morales tossed in three points for Burroughs, sophomore Sydney Martin had three points while senior forward Emily Gutierrez and senior forward Jhazmin Pitts each tossed in two points and senior guard Jordyn Jackson had one point.

Senior point guard Jasmine Chavez tallied five points for the Bulldogs, senior center Sofia Aslanyan, junior guard Brianna Castro and junior Adel Bandarian all scored two points.

A Look Back at the Best of 2018

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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

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(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 Hoops Lead, Falter Late To Crescenta Valley

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By Rick Assad

 

For a good portion of Tuesday’s Pacific League girls’ basketball contest between visiting Burroughs High and Crescenta Valley, the Indians were in the driver’s seat.

This didn’t matter too much as the Falcons seized control in the last minutes and held on for a 46-43 win.

“Having our best player [Faith Boulanger] on the bench didn’t help. We made some turnovers,” Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan said. “We should be taking care of the ball better. You gotta let your team play. They’re going to make mistakes.”

The Indians had several empty trips late in the match due to turnovers, but the key hoop was turned in by senior shooting Caity Bouchard (15 points) with 1:50 left in the fourth period as the Falcons moved ahead 38-37.

The win by the Falcons snapped the Indians’ nine game-winning streak and gave Crescenta Valley a 7-5 record and 3-1 mark in league play, while the Indians are 9-1 and 2-1 in league action.

Burroughs, shown in a game at Glendale, lost to host Crescenta Valley 46-43. (Photo by © Ross A Benson)

“It’s a long season. It’s one game,” Oganyan said of the lone setback. “It helps you realize all the things you need to work on to get better.”

Burroughs, which made one of 11 shots from the floor at one juncture late in the final period, forged ahead 10-7 in the opening frame and then darted in front 21-15 at the intermission.

The Indians were in charge 33-26 heading in the final frame and were ahead until about two minutes were left.

Leading Burroughs was sophomore power forward Kayla Wrobel, who dropped in a team-best 13 points.

The Falcons, who hit nine of 14 from the free-throw and five of 11 from the floor in the fourth quarter, were led by senior guard Georgina Kregorian with a game-best 19 points.

“You’re playing a game with league ramifications in the second week of December,” Crescenta Valley coach Jason Perez said. “Usually we take December to figure it work. Today we grew up and stepped up. The defense was the key.”

The Indians, pictured against the Nitros, had too many turnovers against the Falcons. (Photo by © Ross A Benson)

Burroughs, which shot 28 percent from the floor (14 of 50) took a three-point lead in the opening frame as senior small forward Nicole Rumfola scored three of her six points as the Indians converted four of 20 shots from the floor.

The Indians, who drilled 13 of 25 from the charity line for 52 percent, converted three of 19 shots in the second period.

Burroughs held a six-point edge at the intermission as Boulanger (11 points) scored five points.

Boulanger was slapped with her fourth foul midway through the third quarter and missed about half of the fourth period.

Kregorian scored five points in the first quarter and then added two points in the second stanza as the Falcons (31.1 percent on 14 of 45 from the field) made three of 12 in the first period and three of 10 in the second quarter.

The third period saw the Indians drill four of eight from the floor and hold a 12-11 scoring edge with sophomore power forward Kayla Wrobel tallying six of her eight points.

In that frame, Kregorian scored eight points as the Falcons were successful on three of 12 from the floor and five of eight from the free-throw stripe and made 16 of 26 for 61.5 percent during the game.

Senior guard Camryn Lotka scored five points for the Indians, while senior point guard Ariana Farias dropped in four.

Sophomore guard Dyani Del Castillo and senior guard Sophie Hawkins each had two points and junior guard A’sia Morales added one point.

Burroughs Girls Basketball Has Few Problems In 59-34 Win Over Glendale

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By Rick Assad

 

In a contest that was basically decided by rebounding, the Burroughs High girls’ basketball team doubled host Glendale’s total which led in part to a 59-34 Pacific League triumph on Friday night.

The Indians outrebounded the Nitros 46-23 including 29-14 in the opening half with sophomore shooting guard Dyani Del Castillo pulling down a game-best 11 rebounds and dropping in 12 points.

“Our goal was to play hard. To press. To play fast. I told them at the half that we were dominating the glass,” Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan said. “The best teams are the one’s that the girls can make the decisions on their own.”

Burroughs is off and running against host Glendale. (Photo by © Ross A Benson)

Oganyan, who played at Glendale, was pleased with the effort.

“We told them to keep up the aggressiveness on defense, but to slow it down on offense so we can be successful on our shots.”

Sophomore power forward/center Faith Boulanger collected eight caroms and scored a game-high 15 points with four steals.

Each team managed 12 points in the initial frame as five players contributed for the Indians (9-0 and 2-0 in league).

Del Castillo nailed a three-pointer and senior small forward Nicole Rumfola hit a trey for her only tally of the evening.

A 20-point second quarter eruption unfolded for the Indians, who made six of 18 from the floor after downing four of 22 from the field in the first period.

Boulanger delivered six points in the second quarter after making a pair of free throws in the opening frame.

Ariana Farias sets the tone for the Indians. (Photo by © Ross A Benson)

Burroughs converted 10 of 13 from the charity stripe on the game, while Glendale hammered seven of 13.

Meanwhile the Nitros (8-7 and 1-1 in league) were held to seven points in the second period and fell behind 32-19 at the intermission.

Glendale converted four of 11 from the field in the first period and two of five in the second quarter.

Burroughs, which is ranked No. 22 in the state and No. 200 in the nation by the high school sports website MaxPreps.com, shot a little better in the third quarter, hitting five of 15 from the field and two of two from the free-throw line.

Del Castillo scored six points in the third period and Boulanger, who had recently injured her ankle, added five points.

Sophomore power forward Kayla Wrobel scored five of her 10 points in the fourth quarter as Burroughs made six of 10 from the field.

Kayla Wrobel, who scored 10 points, is getting inside position. (Photo by © Ross A Benson)

Senior shooting guard Jillian Kukawski had four points and senior point guard Jordyn Jackson tallied three points for the Indians.

Senior point guard Camryn Lotka also added three points, junior point guard A’sia Morales contributed three points and junior shooting guard Sophie Hawkins also tossed in three points .

Senior point guard Ariana Farias had two points with eight assists and five steals.

Sophomore center Sydney Martin garnered two points and senior small forward Jhazmin Pitts added two points.

Glendale made 11 of 32 shots from the field for 34.3 percent and Burroughs was successful on 21 of 65 for 33.8 percent.

The Nitros were paced by senior Meri Chesbishian with 12 points, all coming on three-pointers.

Burbank, Burroughs Girls Basketball Seek CIF Playoffs

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By Rick Assad

 

When it comes to girls’ basketball, Burroughs High and Burbank both have quality programs and strong coaching leadership.

The Indians are coming off a season in which they went 23-8 overall and 11-3 in the Pacific League while reaching the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Burroughs lost a key player to graduation in Marin Grote, a 6-4 center, who averaged a double-double in points and rebounds and also played volleyball where she was a standout.

Osanna Tiritan should lead the Bulldogs in points and rebounds once again. Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

Currently Grote is at the University of Washington where she is on the women’s volleyball team.

“I expect our team to be prepared and competitive in every game,” longtime Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan said. “As usual our league will be very tough. Arcadia, Crescenta Valley, Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena all are returning very good talent.”

It’s always exciting when the two city rivals meet.

Burroughs will host Burbank on Jan. 11 and the Bulldogs will host the Indians on Jan. 31.

The Indians, who are undefeated this season at 6-0, will very likely lean heavily on Faith Boulanger, a highly-skilled 5-11 sophomore center/power forward, who averaged 12.7 points with 7.3 rebounds and was selected all-league, first-team.

Despite being a freshman, Boulanger proved her worth early and was a major force on offensive and defensive.

Kayla Wrobel, a 5-10 sophomore power forward was a second-team, all-league pick after tossing in 5.4 points and 5.2 boards per game.

The Indians will be strong as usual and will fight for the top spot in the Pacific League. (Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

Dyani Del Castillo, a 5-8 sophomore shooting guard averaged 5.6 points and 4.4 caroms which translated into being tabbed honorable mention.

Ariana Farias is a 5-3 senior point guard and will lead the offense for Oganyan.

This job is critical because Farias sets the tone.

There are six returners from last year’s team and they include seniors Nicole Rumfola, a 5-9 small forward, Camryn Lotka, a 5-7 shooting guard, Emily Gutierrez, a 5-4 point guard and Jillian Kukawski, a 5-7 shooting guard.

There are two juniors on the squad and they are Sophie Hawkins, a 5-7 shooting guard and A’sia Morales, a 5-7 shooting guard.

The rest of the team will consist of seniors Jhazmin Pitts and Jordyn Jackson and freshman Noor Fahs.

It’s a certainty that the best player on the floor for the Bulldogs, who went 10-18 and 5-9 in league and are 5-2 this season, will be Osanna Tirityan, a 5-9 senior small forward.

“She does everything for us,” Burbank interim coach Bruce Breeden said of Tirityan, who averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds and was named all-league, first-team three consecutive years.

Sofia Aslanian, a 5-10 senior power forward, is likewise a three-year starter. “Sofia controls the boards and gives us leadership,” Breeden said.

Jayla Flowers is a 5-7 sophomore shooting guard and junior Brianna Castro is a 5-5 shooting guard.

“Jayla is a great athlete,” Breeden said of Flowers, who was an honorable mention. “Brianna is our best shooter.”

Also on the team will be Emily Monterrey, a 5-5 senior point guard, Jasmine Chavez, a 5-3 senior point guard and Roxy Payinid, a 5-6 sophomore point guard.

Rounding out the squad are Dakota Cortez, a 5-6 senior small forward, Adel Bandarian, a 5-9 junior power forward, Adrianna Cabrera, a 5-8 junior small forward and Kim Pimentel, a 5-4 sophomore point guard.

Rounding out the squad will be senior small forward Serlie Pouladian, senior small forward Knar Geghamya, junior small forward Val Martinez and sophomore guard Erika Montoya.

Burroughs Track Falls Short Against CV

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Burroughs High freshman Kobi Wynne has clearly gotten better as the track season has gone on.

Thursday she got a little help from Mother Nature at Memorial Field.

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

Wynne ran the 100 meters in a hand-timed 12.19 seconds. She said her previous best was 12.70

“The wind was definitely a big factor,” Wynne said. “It definitely pushed me forward.”

Burroughs lost the girls’ varsity competition 82-53 and the boys’ varsity competition 97-32.

Wynne also won the 200 for the Indians, finishing in 26.28. The mark was the eighth best in school history.

Kayla Wrobel won the high jump going 4 feet, 10 inches.

Alex Akobian won the pole vault by clearing 10 feet.

For the boys’ team, Azad Arnaud won the 400 (54.75).

Ryan Thomas won the triple jump (41-8). The mark was the fifth best in school history.

Sarkis Tatarian won the shot put (44-7).

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

 

 

Burroughs competed without a number of key athletes who are preparing for next week’s showdown with Burbank. Some did compete but were clearly not concerned with producing personal bests.

The season will then continue with Pacific League preliminaries and then league finals for those who qualify.

 

 

Burroughs Girls Basketball Gets Job Done in Win Over Buena

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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 Hoops Tame Visiting Burbank 54-41

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By Rick Assad

 

After a pedestrian 3-3 record to commence the Pacific League portion of its schedule, the Burroughs High girls’ basketball team rallied and ended with an eight-game winning streak that included a 54-41 victory over visiting Burbank on Thursday night.

The Indians, with the triumph, are locked in a three-way tie with Glendale and Crescenta Valley, which fell to Arcadia 57-47.

Burroughs senior center Marin Grote scored eight points with 14 rebounds and seven blocks in a 54-41 win over Burbank. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Backed by freshman power forward Faith Boulanger’s game-best 23 points, the Indians (21-7 and 11-3 in league) led from start to finish and now await Sunday’s CIF Southern Section playoff pairings.

A coin flip will determine the actual order each team will finish and also help seed the squads.

“The teams in our league are pretty good,” Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan said. “The coaches are good. It’s never easy, even when you’re up it doesn’t mean anything. The other teams are always going to make a run. I like the way our team responded.”

Boulanger scored in every quarter, but was especially effective in the first and fourth periods.

Burbank shooting guard Osanna Tirityan dropped in 11 points and had eight points at halftime. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Burroughs darted ahead 39-29 with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter after junior shooting guard Jillian Kukawski (five points) canned a three-pointer.

But with 4:19 remaining, a hoop from Burbank junior point guard Emily Monterrey (three points) trimmed the lead to 39-34.

The Indians were in front 19-11 after the first quarter with Boulanger tallying eight points.

Boulanger’s total offset Burbank freshman small forward Jayla Flowers, who had 10 of her team-best 15 points in the opening stanza.

“We came out and we played tough. We weren’t over excited,” Burbank coach John Wells said after his team went 11-19 and 5-9 in league for sixth and will miss the playoffs. “We were right there where we needed to be. We played them a lot tougher than the first time.”

Freshman small forward Jayla Flowers led the way for the Bulldogs with 15 points. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Wells noted the game after Monterrey’s hoop could have gone either way.

“A couple of bounces go our way, it goes from five to one,” he said. “The bounces go their way, it goes from five to nine.”

In the initial frame, senior center Marin Grote (eight points) and junior point guard Ariana Farias (nine points with five assists) each scored four points for the Indians, who shot 37.2 percent (19 of 51) from the field.

“I just wanted to come out and play our game and not worry about any of the festivities,” said Grote, who grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds with seven blocks. “I just wanted to come out like a team and play like a team and I think that we did.”

Burroughs was held to eight points in the second quarter with Boulanger and Farias each dropping in three points, while freshman power forward Kayla Wrobel scored two points.

Flowers delivered four points in the second quarter, while junior shooting guard Osanna Tirityan had two of her 11 points for the Bulldogs, who made 15 of 49 for 30.6 percent.

Emily Monterrey’s hoop with 4:19 left cut Burroughs’ lead to 39-34. Monterrey is being guarded by Ariana Farias (#2) and Faith Boulanger (#32), who scored a game-best 23 points. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Burbank outscored Burroughs 10-9 in the third quarter with Tirityan and junior power forward Sofia Aslanyan (12 points and six rebounds) each tallying four points and trailed 36-29 heading into the fourth quarter.

Boulanger’s seven points in the fourth period helped the Indians outscore the Bulldogs 18-12.

Meanwhile, Aslanyan accounted for six points and Tirityan, an All-CIF performer last season, pulled down six rebounds and added four points in the final period.

Burroughs freshman shooting guard Dyani Del Castillo scored four points including a trey in the first quarter and senior point guard Jenny Galvan contributed a three-pointer in the fourth quarter.

The Indians were successful on 11 of 15 from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs made 11 of 22 and were outrebounded 39-33.

Burroughs Girls Hoops Rallies Past Crescenta Valley 50-36

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By Rick Assad

 

For one game, youth was served as three freshmen for the Burroughs High girls’ basketball team accounted for 36 points during Friday night’s 50-36 win over host Crescenta Valley in a Pacific League showdown.

First-year power forward Faith Boulanger tossed in a game-best 22 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, power forward Kayla Wrobel added nine points with three caroms and shooting guard Dyani Del Castillo chimed in with five points, all in the first quarter.

The Indians (19-7 and 9-3 in league) avenged a 54-52 overtime loss to the Falcons (19-6 and 10-2 in league) on Jan. 12 and remain in the hunt for the league title.

Burroughs has a home game against Pasadena on Tuesday and will host rival Burbank on Thursday in the regular-season finale.

Marin Grote (#44), shown in a game against Glendale, had six points and 12 rebounds in a 50-36 win over host Crescenta Valley. (Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

What was the key to Friday’s victory?

“Picking up our pressure. Our full-court press really helped us,” Burroughs coach Vicky Oganyan said. “They kind of struggled against that. I thought it was also important because it tired them out. We made the game faster and they were just kind of tired.”

The Indians trailed 24-17 at halftime, but trimmed the lead to 35-29 heading into the fourth quarter when they outscored the Falcons 21-1 after canning nine of 13 shots from the field.

In fact, so overwhelming was Burroughs that it outscored Crescenta Valley 33-12 during the second half.

“I’m super proud of our kids,” Oganyan noted. “I was telling my coaches we’ve had some like crazy wins. Crazy streaks, but this game is probably up there. This was just exciting.”

A bucket by junior swingman Jillian Kukawski (12 points) saw the Indians grab a 36-35 edge with 5:05 left.

With 4:20 left on the clock, Burroughs then moved in front 38-35 on a hoop from Wrobel.

When Wrobel scored with 3:29 left, the Indians took control 40-35 as the Falcons called time out.

The Indians, shown in a recent game against the Nitros, outscored the Falcons 33-12 in the second half. (Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

“They were determined and poised,” Oganyan said of her team. “They went into attack mode. We got down early. I’m proud of the way we came back.”

In the fourth frame, Crescenta Valley missed all 14 shots from the field with the only point a free throw from senior shooting guard Sarah Perez (nine points).

The Falcons converted 27.9 of their shots (12 of 43) from the floor, while the Indians hit 19 of 41 for 46.3 percent.

Burroughs dominated the backboards, outrebounding Crescenta Valley 45-17, including 23-8 in the second half.

The Indians fell behind 12-7 after the initial frame as senior shooting guard Rachel Dayag (team-high 12 points) and Perez each scored five points.

Del Castillo scored five points in the first period, while Boulanger hit two free throws and finished 10 of 10 from the charity line.

In the second quarter, Dayag dropped in a trey, added a free throw and then delivered the third from three-point range in the third quarter.

Burroughs senior center Marin Grote (12 rebounds) scored all of her six points in the second quarter, while Boulanger contributed four points.

Boulanger tallied eight points in the third quarter including six points coming at the free-throw stripe and junior point guard Ariana Farias added two points.

Boulanger again scored eight points in the fourth period, while Wrobel dropped in seven points and Kukawski had six.

Despite the Falcons shooting decently in the opening half (42.8 percent on nine of 21), they struggled mightily in the second half, making three of 23 for 13 percent.

During that same stretch, the Indians converted 12 of 21 for 57.1 percent, made nine of 11 from the free-throw line and finished 11 of 19, while the Falcons drilled five of 10 free throws.

“There were some things we weren’t doing,” Crescenta Valley coach Jason Perez said. “We weren’t playing very good defense  We weren’t attacking and  breaking the press easily. We had about four layups we missed. Four or five wide open threes. I think we missed free throws. It hasn’t happened to us all year. We haven’t gotten cold like that. The entire team went cold.”