Preview: Burroughs Bears vs. Burbank Bulldogs
Burroughs has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Burbank Bulldogs at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Tuesday, Burroughs came up short against the Mustangs and fell 73-64. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Burroughs came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 308th, while the Mustangs are ranked 694th).
Despite their defeat, Burroughs saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Elijah Orjuela, who scored 16 points along with two steals, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Orjuela has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Chase Kardosh, who scored 20 points.
Meanwhile, Burbank had to endure a nine-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Hoover on Tuesday and snuck past 66-64.
Odartey Blankson was his usual excellent self, scoring 30 points along with seven rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Burbank's points. Another player making a difference was Kevin Dehbashian, who scored 16 points.
Burroughs has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 14-13 record this season. As for Burbank, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-21.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Burroughs hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 55.8 points per game. However, it's not like Burbank struggles in that department as they've been averaging 58.5 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Burroughs won a contest that couldn't have been any closer in their previous matchup back in January, slipping by the Bulldogs 74-73. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Blankson, who dropped a double-double on 35 points and 15 rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Burroughs still be able to contain Blankson? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
