Burbank Varisty Basketball Going to CIF Semifinals!

BIG CONGRATS TO OUR BULLDOGS!!!

Hi Cathy,

Great story in the Leader today about the Boys Basketball victory last night. They have advanced to the CIF Semifinals for the first time since the 1967 team. Thought it might be a good post for the blog.

Thanks,
Dave

Dave Thomson
Burbank High Social Science
Key Club Faculty Advisor
BHS Centennial Chair
818-558-4700 x51162

Burbank on to semifinals

BOYS’ BASKETBALL: Bulldogs come back from 14-point deficit to beat Canyon and get back to semifinal.

Burbank Leader
By Jeff Tully
Published: Last Updated Tuesday, February 23, 2010 11:02 PM PST
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CANYON COUNTRY — It took the Burbank High boys’ basketball team 13 years to get back to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

If the Bulldogs hoped to erase an even longer drought and somehow advance to the semifinals for the first time in more than four decades, they would have to beat a talented Canyon Country Canyon team on the road.

Burbank was able to battle back from a poor first-half Tuesday to defeat the Cowboys, 65-59, in a Division IIAA quarterfinal contest.

It is Burbank’s first trip to a CIF final four in 43 years, when it fell to Monrovia.

The Bulldogs (23-7) also tied a school-record for wins in a season.

Trailing by as many as 12 points midway through the second quarter, Burbank battled back, cut down on turnovers that plagued it early on and took control of the game.

“We have been down in a lot of games this season, and we know how to battle our way back,” said junior Adam Colman, who had 15 points. “We have a lot of seniors on this team and we didn’t want this to be their last game.”

The win puts Burbank into a semifinal game at 7 p.m. Friday on the road. It will take on host Compton at a site to be determined.

The Cowboys (20-9), the third-place team from the Foothill League, jumped out to an early lead and had a 17-9 advantage after the first quarter. Canyon was able to push the advantage to 14, at 26-12, with five minutes left in the half.

However, the Bulldogs fought back, embarking on a 13-0 run to put them back into the game.

When the second quarter ended, Burbank was down by just five, 32-27.

“We had 17 turnovers in the first half,” said Burbank Coach Jose Hernandez, whose squad was the runner-up in the Pacific League. “I told the guys that if we eliminate that number, we win the game.”

The Bulldogs’ offense was sparked by senior Argin Gerigorian, who poured in 19 points.

Burbank settled down in the second half and outscored the Cowboys, 18-10, in the third quarter to take a 45-42 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs were able to convert their free throws late in the fourth quarter to avert a Canyon comeback.

“I thought once we settled down and we started playing our game, that’s when we started to dictate the tempo,” Hernandez said. “The guys never panicked and they kept fighting.”

The Cowboys were able to take the lead briefly, 52-51, with under four minutes remaining in the game. But the Bulldogs quickly took back control of the contest and played well down the stretch.

“We feel fortunate to be in the semifinals,” Hernandez said, “But we felt we had the talent to get to this point. We felt we had all the pieces in place.”

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WATCH a bit of Burbank beating Pasadena earlier this month.


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Burbank High School Varsity Basketball Team vs. Pasadena High School League Game 2-05-10. Pasadena has lost twice in League in the past eight years, and both of them are to Burbank. Burbank won the game on Friday night 2/05/10 by three points.