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December 18, 2024
By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X
The first half numbers were favoring La Mirada High when it visited Valley Christian High last Friday in a comparable matchup between two teams that each had three wins under their belt. The Matadores had a 22-12 advantage in rebounds and had two more steals in the half, but the game was knotted at 18-18 after the first 16 minutes.
That’s when V.C. sophomore Hannah Burgoyne took over and nearly put the second half on her back, or at least the third quarter. The rising star for the Defenders outscored the Matadores by two points in the third quarter by hitting four three-pointers and a two-pointer as V.C. rolled to a 54-40 win. Her third perimeter bucket of the game put the hosts in front for good at 26-23 with 5:04 left in the stanza.
“Obviously in the first half, we struggled to get rebounds [even though] we were in the right spot,” said V.C. head coach Dan Leffler. “Our post player was in foul trouble, so we weren’t doing a great job. That makes it a little bit more difficult. We just didn’t do a good job of boxing out.”
“I think the girls are still struggling protecting that three-point line,” said La Mirada head coach Victoria Luong. “Defensively, just not being aggressive as far as playing in their zones. And this isn’t the only game. In previous games, we’ve had this issue, too; just letting [opponents] take those three-point shots assuming they won’t make them. And clearly, [Burgoyne] was just on fire and was hitting all those shots, and those points add up quick.”
The game was up for grabs in the first half with six lead changes and the largest lead no more than four points, accomplished by both teams in the first quarter. V.C. ended the quarter on a 6-0 run as Burgoyne sank the first of her six three-pointers off the second straight assist from junior Liana Lopez.
Burgoyne’s next three-pointer broke a 13-13 tie with 4:35 remaining in the half and her steal followed by a basket with 41.8 seconds left tied the game at 18-18. Meanwhile, the Matadores were being paced by senior Jael Arrequin and sophomore Jordin Shaw, who combined for 13 rebounds, 11 points and five steals before the break. Even though it was a tie game, Leffler had a stern message for the Defenders in the locker room.
“The second half was everybody has to get someone,” said Leffler. “I don’t have a deep bench, but we’re going to go to it, and they know that about me that I’m going to play those girls on that bench if [the starters] don’t do their job. They heeded the warning and said, ‘hey, I’m going to do what he asked me to do’.”
The players responded and after three more lead changes within the first 2:35, Shaw tied the game at 23-23 with 5:20 left in the quarter. Then it was the Burgoyne show as she was five of nine from the field just in the third quarter alone while the rest of the team was two of seven. Her performance enabled the Defenders to lead by 11 points entering the fourth quarter.
“I think it’s more mental for Hannah,” said Leffler. “If she doesn’t hit her first few shots, I have to encourage her to keep shooting, and she’s a shooter. I’ve been around here a long time at V.C. and if you’re a shooter, I usually have to tell you to pull it back. For her, it’s all about rhythm and obviously, she got into a groove.
“It helps us a ton when Hannah can shoot the ball,” he continued. “I don’t want to put the pressure on her; we’re all about balance, and that’s the word I use. We’ve got to have other people in double figures to be consistent.”
“A lot of girls were just getting over colds and…fatigue set in, and they just lost a lot of stamina in the second half,” said Luong.
The Matadores were unable to get closer than nine points in the fourth quarter and in fact, had just as many free throws as field goals. Meanwhile, Burgoyne was nowhere close to settling with her third quarter performance as she added six more points to finish the game with 31 points on 12 of 23 shooting, five rebounds and four steals. This was the first time she has reached 30 points this season whereas last season, she scored at least 30 points four times, including a career-high 34 points at Maranatha High on Jan. 19.
“I knew it was going to be a close game, and it was up until the end of the first half,” said Luong. “I knew that it would be competitive, and it could go either way. But we just couldn’t hang the whole four quarters.”
Freshman Jaiya Lee scored nine points and pulled down eight boards while junior Gracie Verhoef and freshman Molly Douglas each added seven points with Douglas pacing the Defenders with 10 rebounds. Arreguin led La Mirada with 14 points, had six rebounds and three steals while Shaw added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Emily Gonzalez pitched in with six points before fouling out late in the game.
“She’s always put her heart into it, she fights hard, and she has done exceptionally well this season,” said Luong of Shaw. “A couple of games ago, she had a career-high of 21 points. So, I foresee her going far.”
This was just the second time in at least 27 seasons the two teams had met. The only other meeting during that time was in 2016, a 58-23 V.C. victory. The Matadores (4-6), who bounced back to defeat Rancho Alamitos High 47-30 this past Tuesday, have yet to get into a consistent winning pattern this season, losing three of their first four games before splitting their next four games prior to last Friday. La Mirada hosted Gahr High on Dec. 19, then will face Patriot High on Thursday to begin the Marina Tournament.
“Even in warmups, it’s unpredictable,” said Luong of the team’s inconsistency. “Once the game starts…just reading their body language and everything else is who we have. I think the frustration amongst all the coaches is regardless of what we say and what we do, it just doesn’t change their mindset. We’re just not sure how to get through to them.”
V.C. (4-6) has won three of its last five games as it will face Ramona High on Friday in the Challenge for CHOC Showcase at Sonora High, then entertain Savanna High on Saturday before playing Long Beach Cabrillo High on Thursday in the first game of the Orange Holiday Classic.
“That’s all we talk about; is league play, knowing the setup,” said Leffler. “It doesn’t matter what the system is for [the playoffs]. It matters that if you’re a top three finisher, you’re going to go to the playoffs, and that’s always the goal for us.”
