Despite Carlmont’s varsity boys basketball team starting off strong, the Burlingame Panthers held strong pulled away with a healthy lead near the end of the game, eventually beating the Scots 67-47 on Feb. 15.
Despite losing by 20 points, Carlmont Coach Ron Ozorio did not consider this game a loss but rather a learning opportunity for their upcoming CCS games.
“I was very proud of the effort the team made throughout the game, especially our defensive effort,” Ozorio said. “We could work on our rebounds, but our dribble penetration was outstanding, and we can build off this game.”
The Scots came out of the gate strong, staying ahead of the Panthers throughout the first quarter. However, Carlmont fell off during the second quarter with Burlingame gaining a slight lead by halftime.
Things start to heat up between the Panthers and Scots in the third quarter. The Panthers made many three-point shots, which led to almost a 10 point gap towards the fourth quarter. James Tofigh, a Carlmont junior, believed they got lucky with their shots during this quarter.
“I think we played just fine, and there weren’t any major factors to our loss besides our rebounds,” Tofigh said. “Luck fell into their hands, and Burlingame hit many of their 3-point shots.”
Carson Robenalt, coming off the bench for Burlingame surprised much of the Carlmont team, including Ozorio, scoring an impressive 17 points.
“The ninth or tenth went on the court and made almost a surprising twenty points for their team,” Ozorio said. “This player was not on our radar.”
While the Scots suffered a twenty-point loss this game, they learned from this defeat and prepared for their playoffs and CCS games.
“I would be great if we could get some strong support for our upcoming playoff and CSS games,” Ozorio said. “The support could help us win a few of our CSS games.”
