“Against Burroughs and Arcadia we barely pulled it out and [our loss to] Burbank was a three-point game, but even though [Muir] cut it to four a couple times, we felt pretty confident that we were in control most of the way,” Falcons Coach Shawn Zargarian said.
Crescenta Valley (12-8, 5-3 in league) gave up 15 points in both the second and third quarters. But the Falcons were able to equal or surpass that mark with their own offensive efforts, maintaining the same seven-point lead they ended the first period with going into halftime and building their lead to 10 by the close of the third.
“We just wanted to come out with more energy, work harder and put it away in the third quarter,” said senior Falcons point guard Narbeh Ebrahamian, who scored six of his 22 points in the third period.
While the Falcons didn’t quite put the game out of reach in the third, they made it much easier to do so in the fourth quarter.
Ebrahamian found Eric Yoo (12 points) open for a three-pointer inside the first minute of the fourth to put Crescenta Valley up, 53-40.
After keeping the lead around 10 for the next six minutes, the Falcons pulled away to a 62-46 lead on four straight points by Nick Dragovich on two free throws and a steal that led to an explosive breakaway dunk with 1:30 remaining.
“[In the fourth quarter] we were just being smart, taking care of the clock,” Ebrahamian said. “We were up, so there was no rush for anything.”
Dragovich also provided the Falcons with a lift in the waning moments of the second quarter after Muir (6-13, 3-5) had cut the Falcons’ lead from 10 down to three.
The junior forward drew a foul on a layup and converted a three-point play before Ebrahamian came up with a steal and a quick bucket off an inbounds pass to push the lead back up to eight.
Crescenta Valley continues league play at home against Glendale on Friday.
“It’s gonna be a battle coming down the stretch,” Zargarian said. “Every game pretty much is for a chance to go to the playoffs from here on out.”
