BOYS BASKETBALL: BHS Claims Seismic Win at SI

The Score: Burlingame 68, SI 56.

The Star: Burlingame High’s Zac Grotz scored 13 of his 15 points in the opening half as the visiting Panthers stunned St. Ignatius by roaring to a 36-24 halftime advantage in the Central Coast Section Division III semifinals. The senior wing’s 7-for-11 shooting performance on Wednesday night typified Burlingame’s sharp execution in most phases, precision that powered the Panthers to a section championship game for the third straight year.

The Turning Point: The final three minutes of the second quarter. No. 2 seed SI cut an 11-point deficit to four (at 25-21), but then third-seeded Burlingame finished the first half on an 11-3 run on baskets from five different players, including a slick shovel pass from freshman Franco Ferrari to fellow reserve Steve Johnson for a layup. Emboldened by a first half in which they shot 60 percent (15-for-25) while holding the Wildcats to 28 percent shooting, the Panthers never looked back. Burlingame eventually built up a staggering 22-point lead with just over three minutes left in the game before SI made a frantic final push.

The Quote: “They always say the (West Catholic Athletic League) is the best league, and I don’t disagree with that. But I think we can play with any of them. But we don’t get that many opportunities, so when we do we have to show it. … Everything rides on this. … I think this is the best opportunity. Since we were freshmen, everyone was saying this is the team that’ll win CCS.” – Burlingame senior post Kyle Shaffer, on relishing a victory over one WCAL opponent and the chance to make program history by beating another one on Saturday.

What’s Next? The Panthers take aim at their first CCS title when they meet two-time defending champion Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Division III final on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Santa Clara University. SHC beat Aptos 73-48 in Wednesday’s earlier semifinal. Burlingame hopes the third time is the charm – the Panthers lost to the Fightin’ Irish in the championship game the last two years.

The Bottom Line: Burlingame took a monumental step towards breaking a decade-long run of near misses in the CCS playoffs – securing one of the most satisfying and significant wins in program history. But a formidable challenge still lies in front of the Panthers in Sacred Heart Cathedral. … Burlingame prepared all season for potential playoff games against SI and SHC, watching extra film on those teams and regularly discussing how to match up against them at both ends of the court. Most Panthers would have said all year that they would judge themselves on their CCS showing – and that nothing short of a section crown would be satisfying. And they have known all along that they would likely have to face either SI or SHC – or both – in order to reach the holy grail. … To that end, Burlingame’s preparation clearly paid off in the semifinals. Facing an SI team that beat them 49-47 in the title game of the Sand Dune Classic on Dec. 30, the Panthers were sharp from the outset and landed a flurry of early blows that appeared to leave SI shell-shocked. Eight Panthers scored in the first half – reserve Connor Haupt hit two 3-pointers and had eight points in the second quarter alone. … Burlingame had full control of the game before star posts Rodrigo Puliceno and Shaffer really got involved in the offense. The senior tandem scored only four points in the first half, and combined for just five of the team’s 23 field goals on the night. … That being said, everything the Panthers do – at both ends of the court -- is made possible by the presence of the big men, and Wednesday was no exception. Puliceno finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Shaffer had nine points and six rebounds. Moreover, Burlingame had an overwhelming advantage in points-in-the-paint. … Panthers coach Jeff Dowd long ago identified the need to field a WCAL-caliber defense, and this team clearly has just that. St. Ignatius shot just 31.6 percent (18 of 57) against the swarming Panthers. … Also, Dowd has put a premium on physical play. Among the benefits of that – Burlingame attempted 16 more free throws than the host Wildcats. The disparity ballooned once SI had to start fouling, but the Panthers were the aggressor. Puliceno’s deft touch at the line is a not-so-secret weapon. His 11-for-14 showing against SI loomed large. … Recent history: Burlingame has been eliminated from CCS by a WCAL opponent in eight of the last nine years. The Panthers will now play in a section final for the sixth time since 2003. In four of those five previous trips, they were bounced by a WCAL program. … If Burlingame wins on Saturday, it would become the first section champion among public school teams (in any of the five divisions) since Oak Grove in 2007.

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Burlingame 68, St. Ignatius 56

B – 14 22 14 18 -- 68

SI – 11 13 10 22 – 56

B: Bailey 1 4-6 6, Grotz 7 0-0 15, D. Ferrari 3 0-0 6, Puliceno 2 11-14 15, Shaffer 3 3-5 9, Loew 2 0-0 4, Haupt 3 0-0 8, F. Ferrari 1 1-4 3, Johnson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 19-29 68.

SI: Mrlik 6 0-0 16, Domingo 3 1-2 8, Collins 0 2-2 2, Aguilar 2 4-6 8, Johnson 2 3-3 8, Pappas 3 0-0 9, Quintana 1 0-0 2, Warner 1 0-0 3. Totals: 18 10-13 56.

3-point goals: B: Haupt 2, Grotz. SI: Mrlik 4, Pappas 3, Domingo, Johnson, Warner.

Records: Burlingame 26-3. St. Ignatius 17-10.