Rivalry too close to call
BURROUGHS HIGH — The Pacific League tennis match between Burbank High and Burroughs came down to number of games won, and even then it was close enough to require a recount.
After the final set concluded — one taken by Burbank’s doubles duo of Megan Kim and Veronica Mendoza to tie up the number of sets won at nine — head coaches Loi Phan of Burbank and Roy Bernhardt of Burroughs voiced disagreeing scores.
Phan had his team victorious with an 81-75 advantage in games won, while Bernhardt’s addition came out to 75-75.
After double-checking the scores with their respective teams, Bernhardt walked over and congratulated Phan for his team’s 9-9 (81-75) road win Thursday afternoon.
“I knew it was going to be close, but not this close,” said Phan, whose squad took six of nine singles sets. “Our girls battled back, fought back, and you can’t ask for much more.”
Burbank (7-4, 5-2 in league) trailed after the first two rounds of play, 4-2 and 7-5. After 16 sets, Burroughs led 9-7 with two sets remaining in doubles, where it had seen success throughout the match.
Despite winning a majority of their sets in doubles play, the Indians ultimately came up short in winning the decisive one, suffering a 6-4 loss to Burbank’s No. 1 double’s team of Kim and Mendoza.
“I thought we were going to win,” said Bernhardt whose team drops to fourth in the Pacific League behind Burroughs, Crescenta Valley and first-place Arcadia. “Bad news. Flat rock.”
Kim and Mendoza’s clutch win was just one of three sets the Bulldogs garnered in double’s competition.
The Indians’ No. 1 team of Jessica Vu and Rachelle Ortiz swept, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, over Kim and Mendoza, Gaby Schnaid and Dana Gibson and Gaby Markari and Brianne Waller.
Markari and Waller took a 6-3 set against Maria Garcia and Amanda Trinh, who needed a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-5), to get past Kim and Mendoza, but ran into little trouble playing Schnaid and Gibson.
Burroughs’ No. 3 team of Aileen Canaria and Camille Yuson struggled, losing two of three, and finished with scores of 4-6, 1-6, and 6-3.
“Our singles carried us, basically won the game for us, and it has been our strength all season,” said Phan after Meredy Gharabegi, Ashley Basco and Elizabeth Sanchez each took two sets.
Kathy Henry was the lone bright spot for the Indians in single’s play, sweeping her three sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-1.
Otherwise, Gharabegi, Basco and Sanchez combined to outscore Abby Kelley and Alicia Singhanate, 36-15, in games won, as No. 1 Gharabegi finished with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 day. Basco posted scores of 3-6, 6-0 and 6-4 with Sanchez also taking two of three 1-6, 6-4, and 6-4.