Burroughs sweeps basketball doubleheader with Glendale

Lady Bears defeat the Lady Nitros 58-42 and the boys come away with a 72-64 win over Glendale

John Burroughs Bears basketball teams preparing for a game in the gym, featuring players in black and red uniforms and a large American flag hanging in the background.

The John Burroughs Bears basketball teams came out with a bang on Friday night, sweeping the basketball doubleheader with the Glendale Nitros. The Lady Bears extend their winning streak to a season-best eight games with a 58-42 win over the Lady Nitros and the Bears get their first home win of the season, 72-64, over the Nitros. Grace Barton and Jessica Mena combined for 30 points for the Lady Bears while Brooke Aldrete led the Lady Nitros with 14 points. In the boys contest, Justin Herrera and Nico Meza combined for 20 points for Burroughs and Mason Manalo led Glendale with 14 points.

A high school girls basketball game in progress, featuring the Lady Bears in white jerseys and the Lady Nitros in black jerseys, with players positioned for a play on the court.

A basketball game in progress featuring female players from the Lady Bears and Lady Nitros. The scoreboard shows 7:54 remaining in the first quarter.

The girls’ contest tipped off the evening and the Lady Bears began the first quarter with a bang, as Valentina Morales and Barton scored back-to-back baskets to give Burroughs an early 5-0 lead over Glendale. Sophia Keshishyan got the Lady Nitros on the board with a layup. Burroughs then went on a 11-0 scoring run with points by Morales, Jessica Mena, Izzy Amaroso, Barton and Rielle Waddell. Keshishyan interrupted the run with another layup to make it a 16-4 game. Barton and Mena nailed consecutive three-point baskets and Burroughs ended the first quarter leading by 18.

Two basketball teams in uniforms preparing for a play during a game at a gymnasium, with spectators and team benches visible in the background.

A basketball player in a white jersey prepares to shoot a free throw while teammates and opponents watch from the free-throw line. The scoreboard shows 30 seconds on the shot clock, and banners celebrating league championships adorn the gym walls.

Morales, Mena and Barton began the second quarter scoring on consecutive possessions for the Lady Bears. Morales nailed a bank shot with Mena and Barton raining down back-to-back threes. Keshishyan finally got Glendale on the board in the second quarter by going one for two at the free throw line to make it a 30-5 game. Alyssa Pracha then responded with a basket to give the Lady Bears a 32-5 lead. Burroughs continued to cruise through the first half and entered halftime with a 17-point advantage.

A group of cheerleaders wearing black and red uniforms, seated on bleachers, smiling and posing with pom-poms.

A large group of cheerleaders and participants in cheerleading camp, dressed in red and gray outfits, pose together on bleachers during a basketball game.

Mena, Barton and Pracha began the second half with three straight baskets to increase the Burroughs lead to 25. The Lady Nitros responded with a 7-0 scoring run as Leah Davidian, Alexia Keshishyan, and Brooke Aldrete closed the gap to 11 in hopes of pulling off the unthinkable.

High school girls' basketball game in progress, featuring the John Burroughs Bears and Glendale Nitros, with players actively engaged on the court and an American flag visible in the background.

A basketball game in progress between the Lady Bears and Lady Nitros, showcasing players in action on the court with a scoreboard displaying the score.

A five section violation committed by Glendale and a Rielle Waddell basket ended the Lady Nitro’s run and the Lady Bears lead was back to 13. Burroughs ended the third quarter with a 44-31 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Players from the John Burroughs Bears and Glendale Nitros basketball teams are positioned on the court during a game, with the scoreboard displaying a score of 26-14.

A packed gymnasium at John Burroughs High School during a basketball game, with spectators on the bleachers and players on the court preparing for play.

Alexia Keshishyan and Melisa Juarez began the final quarter of play by scoring back-to-back buckets to cut the deficit to eight points, keeping hope of an epic Lady Nitros comeback alive. Morales, Pracha, and Mena ended Glendale’s comeback hopes by helping Burroughs go on a 12-0 scoring run to essentially seal the game. The Lady Bears completed the 16 point win over the Lady Nitros.

A basketball game scene featuring a player in a white jersey shooting a basketball towards the hoop, while multiple spectators are watching in the background. The player is positioned near the free-throw line, and other players are visible on the court.

A high school girls' basketball game in progress with players from the Lady Bears and Lady Nitros competing on the court, surrounded by a large, enthusiastic crowd in the stands.

“I’m so incredibly proud of my girls tonight,” said Lady Nitros Co-Head Coach Lilia Vasghanian. “After a bad first quarter they increased their level of play in the second quarter and most of the second half but even though we lost there were a lot of positive takeaways from this team.”

Basketball game scene showing players from the John Burroughs Bears in white jerseys and the Glendale Nitros in black jerseys. The atmosphere is lively with a large crowd in the background.

A basketball game in progress featuring the Lady Bears in white uniforms and the Lady Nitros in black uniforms. The gymnasium is filled with an audience, creating an energetic atmosphere.

Vasghanian, who shares the head coaching duties added that she’s having a blast coaching with Tadeh Mardosian and that she’s learning a lot from him. Vasghanian is a former player for the Glendale Lady Nitros under Mardosian.

A basketball game in progress, featuring players from the Burroughs Lady Bears and Glendale Lady Nitros, with a referee overseeing the action. The scoreboard shows Burroughs leading at 32-21. A player from Glendale is taking a free throw while their teammates wait at the line.

Basketball game in progress with the Lady Bears leading the Lady Nitros 24-4 in the second quarter.

“We played well in spurts but at the same time we need to work on putting together a complete team effort,” said Vikki Oganyan. Oganyan also added that Alyssa Pracha played well in the win over Glendale.

A basketball game in progress featuring the Lady Bears in white uniforms and the Lady Nitros in black uniforms, with players engaged in active play on the court.

A girls basketball game in progress with players from both teams positioned on the court. The Lady Bears in white and the Lady Nitros in black are actively playing, while spectators are seated on the bench in the background.

Burroughs improves to 10-6 overall and 4-1 in Pacific League play and Glendale falls to 10-5 overall and 2-3 in Pacific League play. Burroughs will return to action Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. in the second half of the back-to-back when they take on Highland at the Burroughs Girls Varsity Basketball Tournament Showcase. Glendale will face the Burbank Lady Bulldogs on Tuesday, January 13th at 5:15 p.m.

Three coaches standing together in a basketball gym, with a scoreboard in the background showing a game in progress at John Burroughs High School.

Boys basketball team from John Burroughs High School huddled in the gym, preparing for a game against Glendale Nitros.

To conclude the night,the John Burroughs Bears and the Glendale Nitros clashed in primetime and Burroughs wasted no time with a 7-0 scoring run to start the opening quarter. Nico Meza, Evan Lanier, and Justin Herrera scored on the game’s first three possessions for the Bears. Noah Mituse and Justin Herrera traded three-point baskets to make it a 10-3 game. Mituse then cut the Burroughs lead to five with another basket. Elliot Lawrence and Michael Vanilian also traded baskets. Herrera nailed both of his foul shots to close out the opening quarter with Burroughs leading 14-7.

Basketball game tip-off between the John Burroughs Bears and Glendale Nitros in a gymnasium.

Basketball game tip-off between Burroughs Bears (in white) and Glendale Nitros (in black) in a gymnasium, with referees and teams lined up at the center court.

Mason Manalo and Ryder Romero combined for eight points to begin the second quarter, which resulted in the Nitros leading 15-14. Elliot Lawrence responded with a three to retake the lead for the Bears at 17-15. It was an entertaining showcase in the second quarter, with no team having the clear advantage and Glendale entered the halftime break leading 28-27 over Burroughs.

A basketball game in progress, featuring players on the court, with a scoreboard displaying the time and score. The gymnasium is filled with banners and spectators in the background.

High school basketball game in progress with players from Burroughs and Glendale teams on the court. The scoreboard shows a score of 2-0, and the American flag is displayed on the wall.

The third quarter continued to provide excitement for both teams. Justin Herrera put the Bears back in front on the first play of the third quarter and Noah Mituse nailed a three to continue the see-saw adventure and give Glendale a 31-29 lead. Nico Meza then tied the score at 31. The quarter continued at this pace and led to arguably the play of the night with the clock winding down. Dante Zakani hit a three pointer to beat the buzzer and cut the Burroughs lead to 45-43 heading into the final quarter.

Basketball game in progress with players from Burroughs and Glendale on the court, score indicating Burroughs is leading

A basketball player readies to inbound the ball while a referee observes. The game is taking place indoors with red and white team colors visible, as well as a scoreboard in the background.

Tegan Bradford began the fourth quarter by making his basket while being fouled, but failed to complete the three-point play at the foul line, extending the Bears lead to 47-43. Zakani responded and made it a one-point game with a clutch three, but Herrera and Ethan Cooper combined to push the Bears lead back to six. Nico Meza, who finished 9 for 11 at the free throw line, made both of his attempts to complete the Bears eight-point win over the Nitros.

A basketball game in progress at John Burroughs High School, featuring players from Burroughs in white and Glendale in black, with a referee observing the action.

A high school basketball player wearing a black jersey with the number 2 is shooting a basketball from the free-throw line during a game. Teammates and opponents are positioned on the court, with spectators visible in the background.

“I liked the fight in them,” said Jason Weatherall. “It was a hard fought victory against Glendale but Pacific League games are intense but we gotta battle through against our league opponents. At the same time, I was proud of the resilience in these young men tonight.”Wetherall emphasized that the team is still learning how to put together four quality quarters, which is part of the process of learning for a young team.

A basketball game in progress between two teams with a scoreboard showing a tied score of 31-31 in the second half. Players are on the court while spectators watch in the background.

High school basketball game featuring Burroughs Bears in white uniforms and Glendale Nitros in black uniforms on the court, with a scoreboard showing the current game score.

“We did not rebound the ball well and we also committed a lot of turnovers.” said Art Samontina. “We have to do a better job at rebounding the ball and taking care of the basketball in order to win games.” Samontina also said that Mason Manalo is a leader for his team, and he can learn to do a better job with his leadership in games in addition to his 14 points in the loss for the Nitros.

Overview of a basketball game featuring the John Burroughs Bears, with players on the court and spectators in the background.

A high school basketball game in progress, featuring players from the John Burroughs Bears and Glendale Nitros on the court.

Burroughs improves to 7-11 overall and 2-3 in Pacific League play with Glendale dropping to 8-10 overall and 1-4 in the league. Both teams will return to action on Tuesday, January 13th. Glendale will take on the Burbank Bulldogs at the dog house and Burroughs will host Muir. Both games are scheduled for 6:45 p.m.