Championship expectations for the Bears this winter 

The John Burroughs Lady Bears are entering this season as hungrier as ever with championship-level expectations. Last season the Lady Bears finished in second place in the Pacific League with a 25-6 overall record and 12-2 in League play with an appearance in the CIF Southern Section 2A Playoffs. They advanced to the quarterfinal round which resulted in a 33-47 loss to Santa Margarita who pulled off the upset over a heavily favored lady Bears team. This team should be one of the favorites to win the Pacific League along with Crescenta Valley. 

Entering her 21st season leading the lady Bears is longtime head coach Vikki Oganyan who is currently one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the history of Burroughs athletics. The coaching staff under Ognayan will feature Art Sulivan (Head Junior Varsity Coach), Randy Dudley (Assistant Coach), Bill Dunaway (Assistant Coach), and Rick Lucero (Strength and Conditioning Coach). 

“I’m excited about the upcoming season, we have a great group of girls that want to work hard day in and day out,” said Ognayan. She admitted her excitement about starting the season in Hawaii again, including team activities and an hour of study hall in addition to their three games in three days during the trip. 

Players of note for the upcoming season are senior guard Mariam Fahs (returning all-Pacific League first team/team’s leading scorer from last season). Juniors Elizabeth (Izzy) Amoroso (guard/returning all Pacific League second team/teams assists & steals leader a season ago), Valentina Morales (center/teams leading rebounder and shot blocker a year ago) Grace Barton (guard) Anna Phillips (guard/forward) sophomore Jessica Mena (guard/free throw percentage leader from last year), and freshmen Isabella “Bella” Amayakyan (guard). Amayakyan will be a rising star that people will pay attention to and could be the best freshman on varsity in the program’s history. 

Important dates on the calendar that are of note will be when the Lady Bears kick off the 2024-2025 season in Maui, Hawaii which will see them play three games in three days beginning on Thursday, November 21st through Saturday, November 23rd. They will take on Kamehameha Maui on the 21st and then King Kekaulike on the 22nd, followed by a contest with Baldwin on the 23rd. The home opener will take place on Saturday, November 30th against Orange Lutheran with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m. 

They will host two tournaments in December as they will host the Burroughs High Girls Varsity Shootout on Monday, December 9th through Saturday, December 14th along with the West Coast Holiday Festival on Thursday, December 26th-Tuesday, December 31st. Other tournaments of note are that they will participate in the La Salle Tournament on Saturday, December 21st along with the Providence High New Years Tournament from Thursday, January 2nd, through Saturday, January 4th. The Lady Bears will also host the Burroughs showcase on Saturday, January 11th, and then participate in the Ventura Showcase on Saturday, January 18th. They will also play in the Grant High showcase on Saturday, January 25th. 

Pacific League play will begin on Tuesday, January 7th against Crescenta Valley at 5:15 p.m. Senior night honoring the three graduating seniors Mariam Fahs, Ella Anderson, and Isabella Davtyan will happen on Tuesday, January 21st against Muir in the final home game of the season. The crosstown rival tip-off will occur on Wednesday, January 29th against the Burbank Bulldogs at Burbank High with a tip-off slated for 5:15 p.m. Stay tuned for coverage of John Burroughs Bears girl’s basketball all season.