Big fourth quarter helps Burbank boys’ basketball down Glendale
GLENDALE — Having seen a nine-point lead dwindle to four midway through the fourth quarter, the Burbank High boys’ basketball team turned to its depth and experience to make sure its advantage wouldn’t evaporate completely.
The Bulldogs spread the ball around and relied on different players to make some big shots.
Burbank received 23 points from Michael Woods and 20 from Faraz Khandaker on Monday to pick up a 72-57 Pacific League win at Glendale.
Burbank (17-6, 6-4 in league) held a 54-45 lead late in the third quarter before Glendale (10-13, 2-8) cut it to 57-53 with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs outscored the Nitros, 18-9, in the fourth quarter.
“We knew they could make a comeback and we needed our depth and experience to come through,” said Woods, who finished with 13 second-half points. “In games like this, if you lose an assignment, then they’ll get you.
“We knew we had to stay focused and we ran our plays well down the stretch. I think things started to open up and we had a lot of guys get involved.”
Glendale cut the deficit to 57-53 on a pair of free throws by Daniel Madden with 4:36 to go. Burbank’s Henrik Anassian countered with a clutch three-pointer from the right side to give the Bulldogs a 62-54 lead about a minute later.
Burbank, ranked 10th in CIF Southern Section Division III-AA, completed the two-game season sweep against Glendale. The Bulldogs posted a 47-43 home win on Jan. 9.
“We knew Glendale would be tough after those guys beat Muir [on Friday],” said Burbank Coach Jamayne Potts, whose team held a 54-48 lead entering the fourth quarter. “They played very hard against us both times this season.
“It’s good to have the experience. We got some big efforts from different people and you need that right now. When you have somebody like Michael, you can watch him be aggressive and he’s very effective at doing that.”
Glendale Coach Ib Belou said the Nitros, who got 15 points apiece from Madden and Mike Chebishian, showed some resolve in the second half following a frustrating second quarter.
“We played much better in the second half and we had a chance, but we missed some opportunities,” Belou said. “We missed nine free throws in the game and that made a difference. We had the energy to make a comeback, but you have to play the full four quarters to beat a team like Burbank.
“We are improving, but we have to be able to play a complete game.”
Burbank closed out the second quarter on a 19-6 run to grab a 34-22 halftime lead. Khandaker scored on a scoop shot to make it 32-22 with 1:02 remaining in the half.
Woods finished with seven rebounds and three assists for the Bulldogs, who got eight points from Anassian and seven from Abdullah Kobaissi.
Edrik Abnous-Masihi added 12 points and six rebounds for Glendale.
Burbank and Glendale will take part in league road games at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Burbank will travel to Pasadena and Glendale will be at Crescenta Valley.
