Burbank and Burroughs battled to the end of a Pacific League game won by the Bulldogs 74-62. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
By Rick Assad
Burbank High was in good shape as three players scored in double figures including junior guard Jon Ong with a game-best 25 points and in the process decisioned host Burroughs 74- 62 in a Pacific League game on Tuesday evening.
Junior wing Kaleb Walker added 15 points for the Bulldogs (21-7 and 9-5 in league for fourth place), senior point guard Cris Ong had 12 points and senior small forward Giordan Lewis contributed 11 points in the victory.
Senior guard Justin Herrera dropped 19 points and handed off one assist and grabbed one rebound for the Bears.
Senior wing Elliot Lawrence added 13 points with four boards and one assist for Burroughs, senior guard Nico Meza tossed in 12 points and senior wing Ethan Cooper added 11 points with four caroms.
Burbank converted 28 of 32 shots for 87.5 percent from the free-throw line while Burroughs drilled 17 of 27 for 62.9 percent.
Steve Eshleman is Burbank’s head coach and was impressed by his club and is looking forward to the playoffs.
“So proud of the guys,” he said. “We carved out a double-digit lead and held it throughout the second half. Our free-throw shooting was the difference.”
The Bulldogs made 23 of 46 field goals for 50 percent and the Bears hit 18 of 50 for 36 percent.
Kaleb Walker poured in 15 points during a win for the Bulldogs over the Bears. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
After a first quarter that saw Burbank lead 17-16 the next frame as Cris Ong accounted for six points and Jon Ong dropped five points.
In the next frame, the Bulldogs limited the Bears to seven points while the visitors tallied 16 points as Jon Ong tallied 10 points and his team led 33-23 at halftime.
A 20-point period was next for Burbank as Lewis had eight points and Walker delivered seven points.
Jon Ong scored 10 points in the fourth quarter while Walker tacked on four points.
Herrera scored 13 of his points in the second half and Lawrence chimed in with nine of his points across the second 16-minute half.
Jason Weatherall is in his first season as the Burroughs head coach and was pleased with the effort of his players.
“It was a slow leak. Three points here, two points there. We just couldn’t stop the leaking,” he said. “Our defense wasn’t as sound as we needed it. They are a good offensive team.”
Senior guard Cedric Valdez added four points for the Bears, senior Kane Le-Cabico tossed in two points and senior guard Nathan Rodriguez finished with one point.
Senior small forward Anthony Jawiche had five points for the Bulldogs, junior shooting guard Avo Papikyan added four points and Imani Young-Smith had two points.
Blake Finnigan poured in 13 points for Burbank which defeated host Hoover. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
By Rick Assad
On the same floor that the United States 1984 Olympic men’s basketball team practiced, the Burbank High boys’ team used to hold off host Hoover.
That gold-medal winning squad was coached by Bob Knight and featured three would-be Hall of Famers – Michael Jordan, Chris Mullin and Patrick Ewing, and the floor also witnessed the Bulldogs outlast the Tornadoes 63-53 in a Pacific League game on Tuesday evening.
With the victory, Burbank has claimed four straight and will host Crescenta Valley on Thursday and also visit Burroughs on February 3.
Paced by senior shooting guard/small forward Kaleb Walker’s game-high 22 points and senior forward Blake Finnigan’s 13 points, Burbank used a 22-point second quarter and led 37-28.
The Tornadoes, who converted 20 of 48 for 41.6 percent, drilled seven three-pointers in the opening half but drained one from three-point range in the second half.
Steve Eshleman is Burbank’s head coach and expected the game to be somewhat close.
“We always get a tough game from Hoover. Again, a victory by committee for us. Everybody chipped in,” he said.
The defense rose to the occasion for the Bulldogs (18-7 and 7-5 in league) as they played in-your-face and challenged Hoover on every possession.
Avo Papikyan added nine points for the Bulldogs during a 63-53 victory over the Tornadoes. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
“They made seven threes in the first half and only one in the second. Our defensive intensity really picked up in the second half and that ignited our break,” Eshleman pointed out. “Got out to a safe cushion in the fourth and brought it home. It was a great road win for our kids.”
Junior Alex Patatanyan tallied a team-best 19 points for Hoover with 10 points coming in the second hal.
Sophomore Ilan Genachte Le Bail added 11 points with nine scored in the opening half on three from three-point range for the Tornadoes.
Burbank junior point guard Avo Papikyan scored seven of his nine points in the initial frame and Walker tallied four points.
Patatanyan chimed in with seven points in the first period and also nailed his only three-pointer.
Burbank started motoring in the second quarter as it made eight of 16 field goals for 50 percent and senior guard Cris Ong tossed in all of his seven points that included a trey.
Finnigan dropped five points in the frame and included the first of his two three-pointers.
Finnigan’s hoop with 2:20 remaining in the frame increased Burbank’s lead to 33-26.
Senior shooting guard/small forward Anthony Jawiche accounted for four of his eight points.
The Bulldogs, who shot 48.9 percent on 24 of 49, limited the Tornadoes (8-17 and 1-10 in league) to 13 points in the third quarter while scoring 17 as Walker tallied nine points and Jawiche added four points.
It was physical at times between Burbank and Hoover but in the end the Bulldogs prevailed. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
Hoover outscored Burbank 12-9 in the fourth period and made a charge but ultimately came up short.
Jawiche’s basket with 5:08 left in the third period made it 44-30 and Walker’s field goal pushed Burbank ahead 52-37 with 1:13 on the clock.
In that quarter, Walker had seven points and 16 points in the second half.
Hoover drew within 56-47 and 6:19 left in the fourth quarter on Patatanyan’s basket.
Senior forward Giordan Lewis accounted for four points in the first half for the Bulldogs.
Burbank made 11 of 17 from the free-throw line for 64.7 percent while Hoover hit five of seven for 71.4 percent and also outrebounded the Tornadoes 31-25.
Burbank defeated Upland 73-33 in a nonleague game. (Photo by Rick Assad)
By Rick Assad
Employing a smothering defense and a smoldering shooting display proved a perfect recipe for the Burbank High boys’ basketball team on Saturday night.
Facing a good Upland team that had height and length but was short on shooting played into the hosts’ favor as the Bulldogs routed the Highlanders 73-33 in a nonleague game.
Burbank scored 20 points or more in the second and third periods and nailed 19 of 28 shots for 67.8 percent in those two frames.
Burbank drained 10 three-pointers with six treys coming in the second half.
Three players scored in double figures and were paced by junior shooting guard Avo Papikyan with a game-high 20 points and was followed by senior point guard Cris Ong with 13 points and junior point guard Jon Ong with 12.
Burbank sank 29 of 52 from the field for 55.2 percent during the game while holding Upland to 11 of 61 for 18 percent.
The Bulldogs made 14 of 28 for 50 percent in the first half and led 36-17 and the Highlanders shot 25 percent after converting six of 24.
Burbank dashed in front 16-9 after the first period and then were off to the races.
Steve Eshleman is Burbank’s head coach and believes this was his team’s finest hour to date.
“That might be our best offensive game that we have had all year and we shot the ball really well, but really what spurred us was our defensive strength that we had throughout the game,” he said.
Eshleman also liked another important aspect of the game.
“We rebounded and got the ball out and when we ran, and then created offense to our defense and getting the ball out and going tonight was probably our best 32 minutes that we put together and that’s great for the kids,” he stated.
The Bulldogs (10-4) outrebounded Upland (8-9) 44-33 including 19-13 in the second half.
Imani Smith-Young, a junior small forward, scored all of his seven points in the opening period.
Papikyan tallied 12 points in the second quarter and that included three of his four from three-point range.
Cris Ong, after scoring five points that included a trey in the opening frame, added six points in the second period as the Bulldogs converted eight of 14 for 57.1 percent from the floor.
Ong’s basket with 5:15 remaining in the second period made it 22-9, Papikyan’s three-pointer increased the cushion to 25-9 with 4:52 on the clock and Ong’s bucket saw the Bulldogs pull ahead 29-9 with 3:25 left.
Senior small forward Anthony Jawiche found his range in the third quarter with nine points and also drilled a three-pointer as Burbank dashed ahead 62-29 heading to the fourth period.
Jon Ong dropped eight points in the same quarter, Papikyan added five points and Ong’s hoop with 6:35 left saw the Bulldogs march ahead 43-17.
In the fourth period, Blake Finnigan, a senior wing, scored five of his seven points and added a three-pointer.
Junior wing Jason Campos canned a three-pointer in the fourth quarter and senior small forward Giordan Lewis dropped two points in the second period for the Bulldogs.
Senior wing Collin Heard paced the Highlanders with nine points and they all came on three-pointers and Cooper Omness, a senior wing for Upland scored five points.
Assistant coach Tighe Eshelman is in agreement with his father’s assessment of the team.
“We’ve been lacking a full 32-minute effort so far this year. We’ve had good wins by getting ahead of people and holding on for dear life,” he said. “Tonight, we really executed the game plan throughout four quarters, which is a great step for us leading back into [Pacific] League play.”
Burbank’s football team has unfinished business in 2025 after reaching the CIF Southern Section Division IX quarterfinals last year. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
By Rick Assad
There is unfinished business for the Burbank High football team after finishing 9-3 overall and reaching the CIF Southern Section Division IX quarterfinals a year ago.
The Bulldogs took on Highland at home and fell 42-28 which snapped a seven-game winning streak which included wins over Burroughs 42-21 in the regular-season finale and 47-42 against host Monrovia in the opening-round of the playoffs.
Hector Valencia is in his second tour of duty as Burbank’s head coach and expects the team to do well, especially in the Pacific League where the Bulldogs went 6-1 for second place behind Muir.
“I think the league should be more competitive this year. Coaches are getting more experience, and the new ones have experience,” he said. “Muir should be the favorite with the skills they have coming back but we have quite a few returners ourselves and plan to fight for the championship and we will not shy away from the competition.”
Having a full team and it being healthy is the key to the season, according to Valencia.
“We need to stay healthy and get the ball to your playmakers and fly to the ball on defense,” he stated.
Coincidentally, the Bulldogs will play every game on campus except the season finale versus city rival Burroughs on October 30.
On September 5, Burbank will travel to Reno, Nevada, to face Galena. All the games on the schedule start at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs have a strong offensive arsenal and should be able to compete for the Pacific League championship. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
The Bulldogs have several skilled players at key positions including junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte, who accounted for 39 touchdowns after tossing 28 through the air and 11 rushing.
“My expectation for the team is to win the league, go to the CIF championship and then go to state,” he said. “Expectations for myself are being a leader and leading my team to a CIF championship and more.”
Senior Elijah Pendleton played wide receiver and cornerback and averaged 50 receiving yards a game and finished with six scoring receptions in 2024
Pendleton also ran for 73 yards per contest and added seven scoring rushes and also collected two interceptions.
Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hudson led the Bulldogs in receiving yards per game with 79.3 and added 11 scoring touchdowns.
Senior Chase Miles is a wide receiver and a safety and can play anywhere on the field.
“When it comes to competitiveness, I believe our will is very competitive this year because we still have a lot to prove,” he said. “After losing in the quarterfinals last year to Highland and then watching them win CIF, it made our whole team hungry and ready for this upcoming season.”
Miles likes the team assembled and believes there is enough talent and potential to go a long way.
“We still have a lot of returners and have gotten substantially better in the off-season, working out every day to improve ourselves,” he said.
The season kicks off tomorrow at San Dimas for the Bulldogs and then they host Westwood on August 29. After a bye, Burbank plays at Crescenta Valley on September 19.
Burbank’s defensive unit likes to swarm and go after the football. (Photo by Xavier Dubon)
Burbank hosts Muir on September 26 and travels to Arcadia on October 3. The Bulldogs meet Pasadena at home on October 10. On October 17, the Bulldogs hosts Hoover and then make their way to Glendale on October 24.
The seniors include Exodus Freeman [wide receiver and slot back], William Magee [wide receiver and cornerback], Thomas Adzhemyan [running back and strong safety], Paolo Seltenreich [tight end and defensive end], Johnny Sale [wide receiver, linebacker and safety] and Noah May-Vaughn [wide receiver and cornerback].
The rest of the seniors are Giordan Lewis [wide receiver and outside linebacker], Ryan Honore [wide receiver and cornerback], Adrian Albarran [defensive back], Ryan Mendoza [kicker], Matthew Winn [offensive line and defensive end], David Saroyan [center, guard and defensive line] and Anthony Torres [offensive line and nose guard].
The juniors on the team include Giovanni Bernardo, [running back and outside linebacker], Kaylem Valencia [fullback and outside linebacker], Nico Santillan [running back and outside linebacker], Troy Wells [running back and middle linebacker], Aiden Dagher [tight end and middle linebacker], Alan Garcia [wide receiver], Ronald Gordon [wide receiver and cornerback] and Soundwavyve Sayles [defensive end].
The other juniors are Kordell White [defensive back], Onik Chalkdzhyan [wide receiver and defensive back], Juan Huezo [center, guard and defensive line], Jack Aguilar [offensive and defensive line], Nick Gonzalez [offensive and defensive line], Jehad Altayab [offensive line and nose guard] and Hayk Torgomyan [guard and defensive line].
The sophomores are Diego Plancarte [wide receiver, cornerback and strong safety], Cassius Maydew [wide receiver and defensive back], Gavin Azizian [wide receiver and defensive back], Marc Naiem [defensive end], Juaquin Ruacho [running back and middle linebacker], Aiden Loveranes [offensive line and defensive end] and Harry Molia [tackle and defensive end].
