Comeback propels Burbank boys’ basketball into CIF final
Founded in 1910, Burbank High boys’ basketball, the oldest continuous program in school history, has earned a spot in just its second CIF Southern Section championship game.
But making their way to to their first title game in 91 years was not an easy task for the Bulldogs. They had to overcome a 13-point deficit, received a huge effort from Michael Woods and had to hold on for a 76-71 Division III-AA semifinal victory at home Friday against third-seeded Rancho Mirage.
“This is truly amazing and we are all just awe struck right now,” said senior Michael Woods, who paced Burbank with a game-high 30 points to go along with 11 rebounds. “Since I was a freshman, we got knocked out of the playoffs and every year we have gone a little deeper.
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“But to be able to get to a championship with all the support that we’ve gotten is just amazing. To be able to do this with this group of guys is unbelievable.”
Burbank (23-8), which finished fourth in the Pacific League and was ranked seventh in the final division poll, will play in the finals March 3 or 4 at Godinez High or at the Felix Events Center at Azusa Pacific University.
The Bulldogs’ opponent in the championship will be No. 5 Brentwood, which defeated North Torrance, 69-60, in a semifinal Friday evening. Brentwood (22-8) earned an at-large berth into the playoffs after finishing fourth in the Gold Coast League.
Burbank, which played in the 1926 Class C championship game and lost to Anaheim, advanced to the championship in just the second season under coach Jamayne Potts, who has piloted his team past the division’s No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the playoffs to get to the final. Last season, the Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals.
“We really weren’t in it to make history,” said Potts, who has two 20-win seasons at Burbank. “We were in it to get to the CIF championship. And in the process, if you make history, you make history. The goal all along was to get to the CIF championship.
“I got a little teary-eyed when I was hugging our principal and some of the parents just because I know how hard we work and the time that they all have put in and I’m just so extremely happy for our guys, our basketball program, our school, our community. …The support has just been so great.”
In earning a place in the CIF final, the basketball team joined the football team as school programs that have made a CIF finals during the current school year. Current basketball players Erik Harutyunyan and Duncan Smith were also members of the football team.
The Bulldogs received 12 points and six rebounds from senior Thomas Clark and 12 points from senior Faraz Khandaker.
Trailing by as many as 13 in the second quarter, the Bulldogs whittled down the advantage over the next two quarters and made their move in the fourth. Down by nine, 67-58, with 5:08 remaining in the game, Burbank embarked on a 10-0 run to take its first lead of the contest, 68-67, on consecutive three-pointers by Woods with 2:47 left.
Rancho Mirage surged back ahead briefly, 71-70, before the Bulldogs regained the lead, 72-71, on a goaltending call on a shot by Clark with 1:14 left on the clock. The Rattlers had two chances down the floor to or take the lead, but they couldn’t get a shot to fall. Burbank received two late free throws by Clark and one each from Ben Chavez and Cameron Sweeten to ice the game.
“It’s just so great to get to this point in the season and still be playing,” Sweeten said. “We have just put in so much hard work, but all of this is worth it.”
It was a rough first half for the Bulldogs against Rancho Mirage (22-8), which won a championship in the De Anza League. Burbank had a tough time containing Rattlers senior Charles Neal, who had 15 of his 23 points in the opening half.
Rancho Mirage controlled the contest early on, jumping out to a 13-3 advantage with 3:54 left in the first quarter. Burbank couldn’t cut into the lead much and trailed after one, 23-14.
The Rattlers took their biggest lead of the contest, 40-27, after a three-pointer by junior Koby Alvarez with 2:20 left in the second quarter. But the Bulldogs clawed their back, ending the stanza on an 8-1 run to go into halftime down, 41-35.
After three quarters, the Bulldogs still trailed by six, 61-55. Woods hit shots at the buzzer in both the second and third quarters.
“Mike is always going to do it on both ends of the floor,” Potts said. “What I’m really proud of Michael for is that we were saving him for the second half so he could guard [Neal]. So we put Michael on him in the second half and I thought he did a great job of playing defense against him.”
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Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com
Twitter: @jefftsports
