Sisters pace Bulldogs to league win

BURBANK — A strong effort put forth by Crescenta Valley High in the second half of Friday night's Pacific League girls' basketball contest against Burbank fell short, as the Bulldogs came out on top, 41-34.

Burbank sisters Damarie and Jamie Gonzalez helped hold off the Falcons, combining for 21 points. Damarie, a senior, finished with 12 points and three assists, while Jamie scored 11 and was credited with two assists. Courtney Seidler finished with 10 points and dominated on the glass, pulling down a game-high eight boards for the Bulldogs (9-7, 3-0 in league).

"We got it going a little bit on Tuesday, and tonight I said that we needed the same movement and we started from the very beginning," Burbank Coach Bruce Breeden said. "We moved the ball well, got cutters and opened up the outside. It was pretty sweet."

Catherine Davis led all scorers with 14 points and also had two rebounds for the Falcons (9-5, 1-1).

The Bulldogs got off to a hot start, pulling out to a fast lead in the first quarter. Burbank scored on four of its first five possessions to work its way to a 9-3 lead at 3:45 in the first. The Bulldogs would score five more to lead, 15-3, at the end of the frame.

The momentum carried over into the second quarter, where strong ball movement continued to baffle the Falcons defense.

With 5:20 left in the second, Sylvia Granados lobbed a pass all the way across the court to Jamie Gonzalez who promptly buried a three to put the Bulldogs on top, 22-10. After a shot clock violation on the other end of the court, Granados made another solid pass to Damarie Gonzalez, who hit a short jumper to give the Bulldogs a 14-point advantage, their largest lead of the game.

"They shot the lights out in the first half," Crescenta Valley Coach Jason Perez said. "They were making almost everything."

But the sharp shooting didn't continue in the second half. The Bulldogs shot just 12.5% from the field after shooting 55% in the first half.

"I think that we shot so extremely well in the first two quarters, but I told the girls that we had to stay doing what we were doing, but we had to be more selective," Breeden said. "And then we just got a little bit cold. But they hung with it."

A dismal five-point output opened the door for a Falcon comeback. Trailing, 31-15, at the intermission, Crescenta Valley picked up the pace early in the third. Early in the quarter, Ella Stepanian drove the baseline and hit Lexi Mirzaian with a pass just under the hoop for a catch-and-shoot basket. Davis then set up Stepanian for a baseline jumper on the next possession and the Falcons found themselves down by 11 with six minutes left to play in the third.

"We were able to come back because our defense stepped up and we started to rebound," Perez said. "And we were scoring, and keeping them from scoring, but we just couldn't score enough."

While the Falcons were able to put points on the board in the final quarter, the Bulldogs crashed the glass hard and had the bulk of the possessions, ending the comeback hopes for Crescenta Valley.

"They made a little bit of a run," Breeden said. "We knew they could score, but we finished them off strong."