BOSCO TECH TOURNAMENT : Burbank Slowed by El Modena

The Burbank High basketball team has only one starter taller than six feet and is at an advantage when it can take advantage of its size disadvantage.

“We like to run and push the ball upcourt,” Burbank Coach Fred Cook said.

Burbank was able to do that in the early going against El Modena in the semifinals of the Bosco Tech tournament Friday night.

But too often, the Bulldogs found themselves standing around late in the game, watching El Modena at the free-throw line in a 68-56 loss at Bosco Tech High in Rosemead.

El Modena shot 32 free throws, making 19. The Vanguards, who made nine of 12 in the fourth quarter, made seven in a row in the final five minutes to help expand a 53-49 lead to as many as 12 with two minutes remaining.

“We weren’t boxing out on the boards and we got in foul trouble,” said Burbank senior guard Mike Palaski, who finished with 21 points and six rebounds and three steals.

“We sent them to the line and we couldn’t use our running game. That’s when we’re at our best.”

Burbank, which fell to 3-5, will meet Downey in the third-place game at 6:30 p.m. tonight and El Modena, which won its fourth consecutive game to improve to 5-4, will play Long Beach Poly in the championship game at 8.

In other games, Royal and Thousand Oaks will play in the consolation and fifth-place games at 4 and 5:30 p.m.

Both teams advanced with wins on Thursday. Royal defeated Huntington Park, 89-56, and Thousand Oaks knocked off Hoover, 86-74.

El Modena outscored Burbank, 15-6, the third period and led, 48-39, entering the fourth quarter.

The Vanguards broke a 33-33 halftime deadlock, scoring 11 consecutive points, including eight by Aaron Aguillera, to open the third quarter and go ahead, 43-33, with 4 minutes 15 seconds left in the period.

Burbank’s Shane Williams hit two free throws 46 seconds later for the Bulldogs’ first points of the second half. Palaski’s leaning jump shot at the end of the period was Burbank’s only field goal of the third quarter.

“We just came out and told ourselves that we had to play better defense,” said Aguillera, a 6-2 sophomore forward, who poured in 21 points in a win over Garey in the quarterfinals.

“We thought we could have played a lot better in the first half.”

Aguillera picked up his fourth foul late in the third quarter and did not return until 4:55 remained.

In Aguillera’s absence, Burbank went on an 8-0 spurt in a two-minute span to climb within four.

“We got going in the third quarter,” El Modena Coach Tim Tivenan said. “We felt like we missed some easy shots and could play better defense. It really hurt us when Aguillera went out.”

But only 15 seconds after returning, Aguillera converted a pair of free throws to pad the lead to 55-49 with 4:40 left and El Modena extended its advantage to 63-50 with 2:50 to play.

“Turnovers just killed us,” Burbank Coach Cook said of his Bulldogs, who committed 14. “We got within four and then threw the ball away. It was a game we were in, but we just made the turnovers at the wrong time. We had poor shot selection and broke down on defense.”

Burbank’s Williams scored 13 points and had four steals and teammate Hyung Chun had four assists.

Mike Terry and Robert Baytosh scored 15 and 11 points for El Modena.

Burbank’s Ken Vodmaska was fouled on a rebound as time expired in the first half and sank a free throw to tie the score, 33-33.

El Modena had scored six consecutive points to go ahead, 32-26, for the biggest lead by either team.

However, Ken Malouf and Jon Warner scored quick baskets and Malouf sank a pair of free throws in a one-minute span to tie the game, 32-32, 1:14 before halftime.

Burbank advanced to the semifinal game with a 54-51 win over Bosco Tech in the first round and a 67-55 double-overtime victory over West Torrance.

El Modena needed to play four games in order to reach the championship game of the 17-team tournament which began on Monday, beating Schurr (66-56), Garey (69-66) and Eagle Rock (70-65) in earlier action.

“They had an extra team and we had to play an extra game to get to the first round,” Tivenan said. “It’s probably because we’re from Orange County.”