By Corey Kwok
(Pasadena) – Pasadena simply refused to be spoiled in this year’s league campaign as the now-10 time reigning Pacific title holders made it 13-0 in conference play with a 45-41 win over Burbank Tuesday night. Pasadena is 19-6 overall.
Pasadena closed out the half on an 11-2 run to go up 25-24 at the break. The Bulldogs then scored the first six of the third highlighted by an impressive follow from Simon Ezra to inch up 31-24 just two minutes in. Burbank returned an 11-2 surge of its own to take a two point, 35-33 lead heading into what would be a dramatic fourth quarter.
PHS tied and then gained a brief lead on baskets from Haig Nazerian and Blake Hamilton to begin the fourth. Burbank’s Andre Spight hit a pair at the charity stripe for another stalemate (37-37) with 3:32 remaining. But Pasadena responded on the ensuing possession as Sckoopy Adams arose from a slump to chuck in his first and only score of the game to put the Bulldogs ahead for good.
PHS then scored two more baskets in creative fashion as high flying John John Haywood came from nowhere to rescue and turn a rollout into a deuce before Nick Holden, amidst a host of players, rescued a wide shot that appeared headed out of bounds and banked it in on the first heave. Pasadena, leading by six (43-37) with 1:50 on the clock, appeared poised to put it away.
Burbank, the only team to have beaten Pasadena in league play the previous seven seasons, put itself in prime position for an upset after Adam Colman took it to the hoop before feeding Spight on a second chance score to make it 43-41 with 48 seconds left. Burbank had two more chances to tie or go up after rebounding consecutive PHS bonus misses, but failed to get the rebound. Haywood and Austin Daniels both cleared the glass and Daniels put this cliffhanger on ice by calmly sinking a pair with two seconds to go.
Haywood led all scorers with 17 points, and pulled down 7 rebounds and had 3 steals as well. Inside men Nick Holden (8 points) and Brandon Jolley (3 points) each recorded two blocked shots and shored up boards with 8 and 6 rebounds.
Spight was the lone Burbank player in double figures with 13. Chris White scored 6 and boarded 5 while Remy Youssefi hit a pair of treys in the first six. Colman posted 5 and added 4 rebounds, an assist, and steal to round out the Burbank scoreboard.
Pasadena hosts cross town rival Muir in the Roundball Tussle Thursday at 5:00 pm. while Burbank faces city nemesis Burroughs the same night in hopes of securing a playoff spot.
Burbank 15 9 11 6 – 41
Pasadena 12 13 8 12 – 45
B – Spight 13, White 6, Youssefi 6, Colman 5, Argisht Ovasapyan 4, Austin Pope 3, Simon Elmoyan 2, Matt Zaltauskas 2
P – Haywood 17, Holden 6, Hamilton 5, Daniels 4, Ezra 4, Nazerian 4, Jolley 3, Adams 2
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