After Rough Outing, Burroughs Girls Shoot for Top

Now who’s struggling in the Foothill League girls’ basketball race?

It had been Valencia High, which lost to Saugus and barely beat Canyon, but now it’s Burroughs, which lost to Hart, 55-49, on Friday.

Bad timing, too. Burroughs plays at Valencia tonight in a game that has league-title implications.

With a victory, Valencia, which has never won a title, would move two games ahead of Burroughs with three to play.

“They’re going to be a little desperate,” Valencia Coach Jerry Mike said of Burroughs. “I’m sure [Coach] Doug [Nicol] will have them fired up.”

Despite a lackluster loss to Valencia last month that included a six-point third quarter, Burroughs rebounded, winning four consecutive league games.

Then came Friday.

Burroughs had trouble without its best defender, Danica Cunningham, who was diagnosed with a broken bone in her left hand last week and is out for the season.

“We’re still trying to figure out a way to survive this,” Nicol said. “She’s one of those girls that’s really hard to replace.”

The good news for Burroughs (16-6, 4-2) is the return of sophomore Nadia Roberson, who started the season on the junior varsity team because of academic reasons.

Roberson took care of her classwork and was promoted to the varsity team.

“She wasn’t ineligible; we just wanted her to meet our academic standards,” Nicol said.

Roberson blocked 10 shots against Canyon and Burbank, five in each game.