Boys’ varsity basketball comfortably defeated Oak Grove High School 79-50 to advance to the Division III Central Coast Section (CCS) quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 22.
The Panthers faced Oak Grove in the second round of the CCS playoffs. Using the momentum from winning three of their last four regular season games, Burlingame racked up another win under threat of elimination to keep their season alive.
At the end of the first quarter, the Panthers held just a one-point advantage against the Eagles. However, in the second quarter, Burlingame began to extend their lead and blew the game open.
“We were able to prepare [and] advance. Everyone was able to step up and fill in where needed. That allowed us to thrive in that environment,” junior center Rowan Maher said.
Off the bench, sophomore Max Robenalt connected on three three-pointers in just under a couple of minutes. Maher, also off the bench, helped grow the lead to 33-18 midway through the second quarter with his efficient scoring in the paint.
“My mindset was just be a dog. I was shooting before the game, and I was like, I gotta show it…But my coach always says, be a dog. Go out there, work hard, and that’s my mentality,” Robenalt said.
The Panthers continued to dominate on both sides of the floor throughout the rest of the half, taking a 42-20 lead at the intermission. This was due to their relentless defense, taking the Eagles out of their rhythm and forcing countless turnovers. Offensively, the Panthers continued making shots inside the paint and from outside the perimeter.
“Coach is huge on defense…try to work as a team, and today I think we played super well as a team,” Robenalt said.
In the third quarter, the Panthers kept their foot on the gas by opening the second half with an 11-2 run and to give themselves a 63-29 heading into the fourth quarter. As was the case most of the year, freshman Lucca Maher and senior Marcus Tapia led Burlingame in scoring with their premier shotmaking.
“[Tapia] always got open like that one drive where I drove and threw it out to him, he just keeps getting open. And same with Lucca Maher. He’s always been a big part of this team and he always gets himself open and drives to the basket really well,” Robenalt said.
After defeating Oak Grove on Saturday, the Panthers will now travel to play against Monterey High School in the CCS quarterfinals on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
“We’re gonna study film insanely hard. Make sure we know our roles and then off that we’re gonna practice and fundamentals. Make sure everything’s dialed in for the game,” Rowan Maher said.
