Panthers put away Lions

“We had a good seven days off,” said Burlingame head coach David Lopez.

With the start of Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division play beginning next week, the Panthers returned to the court this week for three games in a five-day span.

And the Panthers have gradually upped the competition. They cruised past El Camino New Year’s Eve, 79-40, and were back at it Friday against visiting Galileo-San Francisco.

The Lions came into the game with a 7-7 record, playing solid basketball against a solid non-league schedule.

And it turns out the Lions gave the Panthers just what they needed: a tough test during which Burlingame had to stay engaged for all four quarters on its way to a 62-46 win.

“Watching them in film, they were impressive,” Lopez said of the Lions. “It was a good test (for us).”

And while the final score looks lopsided, it wasn’t until a Burlingame (7-3 overall) flurry to start the fourth quarter that finally put Galileo (7-8) away. The Panthers looked poised to put the Lions away throughout the game, but Galileo just kept hanging around.

Burlingame led by seven at halftime, 26-19, and managed to increase its lead by a bucket, 42-30, going into the final period.

And then the Panthers pounced. Zach Zamalin keyed a 15-2 run by knocking down a 3-pointer to open the final eight minutes. That was followed by back-to-back 3s from Jean-Luc Uharriet, who finished with a team-high 11 points, pushing the Burlingame lead to 48-32.

And the Panthers weren’t done. Payton Fong-Heady knocked down a pair of free throws, followed by a pair of Lucca Maher layups to open up a 54-32 lead with 4:18 left.

Maher added 10 points.

Until then, the Panthers could not produce the knockout punch. Both teams got off to a slow start as they combined for just 15 first-quarter points, with Burlingame leading 9-6. The Panthers opened up a 10-point lead, 21-11, following a Maher show-and-g0, pump faking the defender at the top of the key before putting the ball on the floor and driving to the bucket.

But Galileo kept itself in the game. After Chris Lim scored off an inbound play, the Lions converted six straight free throws to trail 26-19 at halftime.

Burlingame opened the third period on a 9-0 run to open up a 35-21 lead midway through the third as senior center Rowan Maher converted a pair of layups.

While younger brother Lucca Maher, a sophomore, gets a lot of the spotlight as one of the top players in the PAL, Rowan Maher is just as crucial to the Panthers’ success. Rowan Maher finished with eight points, but he also grabbed four rebounds and blocked four shots.

“He’s our defensive anchor in the back. He brings a whole different defensive dynamic,” Lopez said. “And he can score when he has (the ball).”

But Galileo had one last run in it. After Robenalt converted a fast-break layup for a 37-21 lead, the Lions responded with a 9-2 run to close the quarter. Nathan Lee scored back-to-back layups off the drive, followed a layup and three-point play and the Lions were down only seven, 37-30 before Burlingame got a pair of free throws from Uharriet to lead 39-30 going into the fourth.

Burlingame will have one more tune-up game before opening Bay Division play against Carlmont next Wednesday in Belmont. The Panthers will host rival San Mateo in a quad beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

“I think we’re prepared (for Bay play),” Lopez said.