Hart Closes in on League Title, Routs Burroughs

The Burroughs High girls’ basketball team has been the only team to challenge Hart in the Foothill League the past three seasons.

But while Burroughs continues to give chase, Hart continues to run away with league titles.

With a 54-27 rout at Burroughs on Tuesday night, Hart swept the two-game series, and its 27-point margin was triple that of a 53-44 win in Newhall three weeks ago.

Hart (17-5) is 7-0 in league play with three games left and, barring a total collapse, is a lock to win its fourth consecutive league title and the seventh in the past nine seasons.

Second-place Burroughs (14-8) is 5-2 in league play after shooting only 16%, making only two of 26 shots in the first half and falling behind by as many as 30 points.

Hart center Candace Boller had 15 points and 10 rebounds, both game highs. Teammates Melissa Harrison (13 points) and Amanda Hoaglund (10) also scored in double figures.

“We came to their gym fired up,” Boller said. “We were relaxed, we were focused. We knew if we wanted to take league by ourselves this was the game.”

Burroughs’ motion offense created four open layups in the first five minutes, but all four shots were missed and the team lost its confidence..

While Burroughs made only two baskets in the first half, Hart, which shot 45%, went on a 10-0 run in the second quarter to lead, 24-8, and built a 30-11 lead at halftime. Hart put the game away for good, outscoring Burroughs 12-4 in the third quarter.

Burroughs, which has dominated every other team in the league, continued to be awed by its league nemesis.

“It’s just the fact that they’re Hart and they scare us,” said Burroughs guard Chantel Jimenez, who had a team-high seven points. “Once we started missing easy shots we think, ‘How can we make the hard ones?’ Then we start to break down.”

Two of Burroughs’ best players--center Teroya Roberson and guard Melolini Malaki --have become academically ineligible and were absent. Malaki, who averaged 10 points and 11 rebounds, was removed from the team Monday.

“We’ve come back from a lot of things, but why doesn’t this happen to somebody else?” Jimenez said. “It’s like, ‘Why us? Why not Hart?’ ”

“Our teams never have to deal with that,” said Boller, part of a team with a combined grade-point average higher than 3.5. “The coaches don’t have to worry that much, because the players stay on themselves.”