Burroughs boys’ basketball’s stellar run stopped in semis by Santa Monica
With three wins in their final six regular season games and a third-place finish in the Pacific League, Burroughs High’s boys’ basketball team didn’t look like a team poised to make a substantial run in the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs.
But the Indians probably surprised more than a few by advancing to the semifinals after playing their best basketball of the season as of late, exorcising some postseason ghosts along the way.
To advance to just the program’s second championship game, however, Burroughs would have to get by top-seeded Santa Monica Friday evening on the Indians’ home floor.
NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with what’s going on in the 818 >>
After falling behind by as many as 19 in the third quarter, Burroughs surged back and made it a seven-point game while still in the third. But as quickly as the Indians came back, the Vikings countered with a big run of their own. Santa Monica used that run to send the Indians to a 68-45 defeat.
“We had a mixture of talent this year and the big thing was our depth, that’s what really helped us be successful,” Burroughs Coach Adam Hochberg said. “We can be proud of the season that we had and we can hold our heads up high.
“We were very proud and excited to be in this game, that doesn’t take the sting out of losing right now, but in retrospect we can look back and say we maximized our potential, we clicked at the right time and we had a good season.”
With the season-ending loss, the Indians capped a 22-8 campaign. It was Burroughs’ first semifinal playoff appearance in 26 years, when a squad coached by Ira Sollod lost in the Division IV-A playoffs to Artesia and the brother combination of Ed and Charles O’Bannon in 1990, 75-45.
The Indians were also attempting to advance to a division championship for the first time in 61 years, last making the title game in the singular boys’ playoff division in 1955, as the Bill Flora-coached squad fell to Alhambra, 46-35.
Join the conversation on Facebook >>
In his last game as an Indian, senior Ross Lee led the way for his team, scoring 16 points to go along with six assists and five steals. Teammate Tristen Hull added 14 points and Steven Hubbell contributed six points, five rebounds and five assists.
Santa Monica (28-2) was paced by USC-commit Jonah Matthews, as the senior poured in a game-high 33 points.
“[Santa Monica] definitely came out here with a game plan and they executed it and their guy Jonah was able to get it going really well early,” Hull said. “We came out with a game plan that we really poorly executed.
“But hats off to them, they came in here and beat us in our house and they were the better team this game.”
The Vikings won the Ocean League championship and the win over Burroughs was their 23rd straight.
Santa Monica wasted little time surging to a 12-6 lead. But the Indians countered with a 7-0 run to take a 13-12 advantage with 4:46 left in the first quarter. It was Burroughs’ only lead of the evening.
The Vikings then made their run and ended the first quarter with a 20-15 lead.
Burroughs endured a trying second quarter, converting just two of nine shots from the field (22.2%) and getting outscored, 17-5, as Santa Monica went into halftime leading 37-20.
Santa Monica missed just nine total shots from the field in the first half, converting 12 of 21 attempts for a scorching 57.1% shooting.
The Vikings maintained the momentum early in the second half, enjoying a 19-point lead, 39-20, with 6:46 remaining. But then Burroughs sprung back. The Indians went on a 14-2 run that brought them back to within 41-34 at the 4:04 mark.
The lead was still seven, 43-36, with 3:26 remaining on a basket by Hull. Unfortunately for the Indians, those would be the last points they would score in the quarter, as the Vikings ended on an 11-0 run and had a 54-36 lead after three.
Santa Monica began the fourth quarter with five straight points for a 59-36 lead and rolled the rest of the way.
“Good teams exploit you and that’s what they did to us tonight,” Hochberg said. “That run was a great run for us and I thought we had them on the ropes, but they were able to battle back.”
--
Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com
Twitter: @jefftsports
--
ALSO:
Another semifinal appearance awaits Burroughs girls’ basketball
Bell-Jeff girls’ basketball rides defense to berth in CIF semifinals
Shooting woes slow down upset bid for Providence High girls’ basketball
