Prep Basketball BOYS : Burroughs of Ridgecrest Gets Defensive

Burroughs of Ridgecrest proved why it is favored to win the Southern Section 3-A Golden League title, by soundly beating Saugus, 69-59, Tuesday night.

The Burros played a superb first half, led by the shooting of 6-1 guard Rob Berghorn, who hit 7 of 11 field goals by the end of the second quarter. Burroughs’ strong defense, keyed by a fine performance by 6-2 forward Allan Celestine, forced turnovers and kept Saugus from getting near the basket. Burroughs, which is now 4-0 in the League, took a comfortable 40-21 lead into halftime.

In the second half, however, Saugus toughened its own defense. The Centurions made fewer offensive mistakes than they did in the first half and managed to outscore Burroughs, 18-15, in the third quarter.

Behind the scoring of 6-2 forward Mike Harand, who had a game-high 25 points, the Centurions cut Burroughs’ lead to only six, at 63-57, with one minute left. Mistakes once again plagued Saugus, however, and the Centurions turned the ball over on their last three of four possessions and could only muster two free throws.

“That’s a poised team out there,” Saugus Coach John Clark said of Burroughs after the game. “They needed to make their shots and they did.”

Despite the loss, which drops Saugus to 1-3 in the league, Clark said he was proud of the way his team had played.

Burbank 74, San Gabriel 68

Gary Lotka scored 20 points and David Nelsen added 15 to lead Burbank High to a victory over San Gabriel High.

The victory improved the Bulldogs’ Foothill League record to 3-0 and 12-3 overall.

Burbank took a 27-19 lead after one quarter and was ahead, 47-34, at halftime. The Bulldogs coasted the rest of the way, even though San Gabriel outscored them, 34-27 in the second half.

The Matadors were led by Michael Zarate, who scored 22 points, and Richard Ruiz, who added 13.

Bell-Jeff 86, Pater Noster 46

Jeff Miljanich scored 18 points and Petar Vucurevic scored 19 points and Jeff Miljanich added 10 to power Bell-Jeff past winless Pater Noster.

The Guards, who are now 15-2 overall and 5-1 in the Santa Fe League, led, 22-7, after one quarter and 41-23 at halftime. They broke it open with a 45-point second half.

The Eagles, who are now 0-13 overall and 0-6 in the league, were led in scoring by Rigo Jouregui and Steve Salinas. They scored 27 and 11 points, respectively.

Oakwood 36, Windward 34

John Feder, hobbled by an ankle injury, hit a 15-foot jumper with 11 seconds remaining in overtime to give Oakwood its victory.

Feder, who missed the Gorillas’ last two games with the injury, scored 12 points. Teammate Ron Hahamy, a 6-4 center, blocked 6 shots and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Oakwood, which outscored Windward by three points in the fourth quarter to send the game into the extra session tied at 30, evened its league record to 2-2 and 5-7 overall.

Notre Dame 36, Bosco Tech 35

John Perak rebounded a missed shot by teammate Mike Nelson and converted a lay-in with 12 seconds remaining as Notre Dame held off a last-second threat by Bosco Tech to preserve the home-court victory.

Perak’s ninth point of the game gave the Knights a 36-34 lead, but the visitors rushed the ball to the other end and William Vasquez was fouled by Brian Anderson on a Lay-in attempt with two seconds left. The Bosco Tech forward made his first free throw and missed the second. Vasquez got his own rebound, but Notre Dame’s George Padilla, a 6-6 forward, blocked the last shot.

Notre Dame improved its record to 2-4 in the del Rey League and 5-10 overall, while Vasquez led all scorers with 20 points.

Canyon 79, Quartz Hill 62

Mike Coffey led a balanced scoring attack with 17 points, as five Canyon players scored in double figures to help the Cowboys breeze to a comfortable victory over visiting Quartz Hill.

The Cowboys were in control from the beginning, jumping to a 19-3 lead after only six minutes of play. They led, 35-25, at halftime and rode a 29-17 third quarter to their 12th victory in 18 games this season.

The Cowboys, who are 3-1 in Golden League play, also received contributions from Chris Botkin, with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists; Butch Mettinger, with 10 points and 9 rebounds, and Scott Doughman and Jeff Flesher, who scored 12 points each.

Bel-Air Prep 65, Lintz 48

Bill Studley pumped in 28 points and Dana Pump added 14 to carry Bel-Air Prep to an easy victory over Lintz

The Bruins, who extended their Westside League record to 4-1, took a 21-7 lead after one quarter and increased their margin to 38-18 at halftime. The Patriots, who dropped to 8-5 overall and 3-4 in the league, rallied against the Bel-Air Prep substitutes and cut their deficit to eight points in the third quarter before the regulars returned.

Lintz’s 23-point outburst came within a field goal of matching its entire output for the first three periods.

The charge was led by sophomore forward Sam Torbati, who finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds, and Marty Danzer, who added 13 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.