Burbank boys’ basketball can’t keep up with Peninsula in playoffs

With similar records, the Burbank High boys’ basketball team was hoping to have a chance Friday in its opening-round playoff game against Peninsula on Friday.

The Bulldogs had further hope in their CIF Southern Section Division I-A first-round contest after the Panthers lost their leading scorer, Stanley Roberts, to a broken hand prior to the playoffs.

But even with things looking up for Burbank, it couldn’t match up with Peninsula, as the host Panthers got out to an early lead and stayed in control to notch a 69-43 victory.

“They were just a big, physical team,” Burbank Coach Jerry DeLaurie said. “I don’t think they had a kid smaller than [6-feet-2] on the court. We have just never played a team like that all season. They were just more physical and stronger than we were.”

Burbank (13-14) earned an at-large bid into the playoffs after a fifth-place finish in the Pacific League. The 10th-seeded Panthers (13-12) placed second in the Bay League.

“Even without their main guy they were good and they had a lot of talent,” DeLaurie said. “They just took it to us.

“We also had some problems. They really out rebounded us and they were very strong on the boards. And we must have had 20 turnovers.”

The Bulldogs received a 14-point effort from senior Richard Elmoyan. Freshman Mike Woods chipped in eight points.

Burbank found itself trailing early, as Peninsula jumped out to a 10-1 run to start the game. The Bulldogs struggled to make up ground, and found themselves trailing at halftime, 34-14.

“We tried to make as push and come back, but they were just too tough,” DeLaurie said.

Peninsula enjoyed a 49-22 advantage after three quarters.