Short-handed Hoover girls’ basketball learns value of teamwork
LA CAÑADA — Teamwork took on a very different meaning for the Hoover High and Village Christian girls’ basketball teams at Tuesday afternoon’s summer league game at Flintridge Prep.
The Tornadoes dealt with being so short-handed that they had to borrow two players from host Flintridge Prep in what was a 33-14 victory for the Crusaders.
“When you show up with four players, well, that just about changes everything you can do,” said Hoover Coach Stan Watson, whose daughters played at Flintridge Prep previously. “You can’t really run your sets, you can’t run your offense or your regular defense. All you can really do is just show up and play and that’s what I told my girls I expected them to do.”
Watson had 10 players at his team’s previous summer league contest, but was down to an ineligible amount due to some players being on vacation and others simply missing the game. Even the team’s assistant coach didn’t make it on time due to traffic.
With several reasons to be frustrated, Watson was instead pleased at the end of Tuesday’s contest due to the play of guard Minella Aghajani.
The freshman led her team in scoring with seven points, while adding three steals.
“I asked everyone to step up and she did the most and I couldn’t be prouder,” Watson said. “She outplayed the sophomores and juniors on the team. She showed me something.
“She was real hesitant to start, but because of the situation, she took some shots that she normally doesn’t take and showed some courage out there.”
Unable to field five starters at tip-off, Hoover turned to Flintridge Prep, which lent freshmen players Alex Kyriakakis and Olivia Stevens.
Kyriakakis added four points and five rebounds, while Stevens chipped in five boards.
Kyriakakis, who filled in for short-handed San Gabriel Mission earlier in the tournament, said she had to make quick adjustments.
“All the Hoover players introduced themselves to me before the game, but honestly I forgot a couple of names,” Kyriakakis said. “Whenever I called for the ball, I would just say ‘ball’ or ‘hey.’ That was the best way to communicate.”
On the flip side, Village Christian brought 11 players and was dominant, as the Crusaders netted the game’s first 16 points and nearly held Hoover scoreless in the first half.
It wasn’t until Hoover’s Isabella Balderas nailed a 16-footer at the one-minute mark that the Tornadoes finally scored. By that time, though, Hoover was down, 16-2. Village Christian eventually took a 20-2 lead at the break.
Overall, eight Crusaders chipped in at least one point with junior guard Ashlee Pangburn leading the squad with nine points.
With a roster more than double that of Hoover, Village Christian Coach Jon Sampang also had a dilemma, namely getting everyone some playing time and an opportunity to bond.
“For us, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing,” Sampang said. “It’s about building camaraderie and learning how to play as a team. That’s what summer league is for us.
“When you get near the start of the season, you want to have a team of players who trust themselves and know how to play the game together.”
