BOYS BASKETBALL: Burlingame 'D' Throttles Mills

The Score: Burlingame 63, Mills 36.

The Star: Burlingame High freshman Franco Ferrari scored a team-high 14 points off the bench in his team’s Central Coast Section Division III quarterfinal victory on Saturday afternoon at St. Ignatius. Ferrari scored eight points and recorded an assist and a steal in the second quarter of his first CCS game, helping the third-seeded Panthers take firm control against No. 6 seed Mills by halftime.

The Turning Point: Mills (17-10) took an early lead in the first quarter but Burlingame (25-3) turned up the pressure and ended the period on a 13-4 run, highlighted by Kwesi Bailey’s six points. That defensive pressure continued in the second quarter as the Panthers held Mills to 17 first-half points. Burlingame coach Jeff Dowd commended his team’s defense in the first half.

The Quote: “We needed it just to pull away and take the energy out of them. They were kind of back and forth in the game and we just needed to pull ahead.” – Burlingame freshman Franco Ferrari, on his team’s second-quarter run.

What’s Next? Burlingame plays No. 2 seed St. Ignatius on the road on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals of the CCS Division III playoffs. The Panthers have won 16 straight games, with their last loss coming at SI (17-9) on Dec. 30 in the final of the Sand Dune Classic.

The Bottom Line: The Panthers, No. 2 in , had the services of Kyle Shaffer back on Saturday against No. 10 Mills. After suffering an ankle injury that kept him on the sidelines for the Peninsula Athletic League tournament semifinals and championship, Shaffer came back and made an immediate impact. The senior post scored five points and was very active defensively. Shaffer’s comeback is critical to Burlingame’s hopes against SI. The Panthers, who have never won a CCS title, have struggled in the playoffs against West Catholic Athletic League teams. But Burlingame has been preparing all year for the WCAL foes it might see in the postseason. Wednesday will serve as a great litmus test.

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Burlingame 63, Mills 36

M -- 8 9 10 9 -- 36

B -- 16 18 18 11 -- 63

M: Wong 0 2-2 2, Yim 1 1-2 3, Takenaka 2 0-0 4, Lew 0 0-2 0, Chew 5 4-5 15, Aristakessian 3 0-0 7, Berkovatz 2 1-2 5. Total: 13 8-13 36.

B: Haupt 3 0-0 9, Bailey 3 1-2 8, Grotz 3 1-1 7, D. Ferrari 2 1-3 6, Puliceno 5 2-2 12, Shaffer 2 1-2 5, Loew 1 0-0 2, F. Ferrari 4 4-4 14. Total: 23 10-14 63.

3-point goals: M: Chew, Aristakessian. B: Haupt 3, F. Ferrari 2, D. Ferrari, Bailey.

Records: Mills 17-10. Burlingame 25-3.