Glendale boys’ basketball has plenty in reserve to rout rival Hoover
GLENDALE — Turning to its reserves is an approach the Glendale High boys’ basketball team is happy to carry out.
It proved to be the case when Glendale met cross-town rival Hoover on Friday in a Vaquero Summer Shootout contest at Glendale Community College.
Having played its starters in a pair of games Thursday, Glendale Coach Ib Belou decided to play his reserves throughout Friday’s tilt. The move paid dividends for the Nitros.
Glendale received 14 points from Dante Terteryan and eight from Cesar Vargas to roll to a 66-21 victory.
“We played our starters in both games Thursday, so I felt like this is a good time to see what we have coming off the bench,” said Belou, whose team split a pair of Pacific League games last season with Hoover. “It’s a very good opportunity to see what we can bring since we have 13 players.
“We have some depth and the guys all work well together at practice and during games. You just look to see if they can go out there and execute.”
Terteryan, a junior guard, set the stage for Glendale. He had a pair of three-point plays to help the Nitros break away from the Tornadoes. The first one gave Glendale a 12-2 lead with 14:08 left in the first half and capped a 12-0 run. Terteryan’s second three-point play extended Glendale’s lead to 17-4 with 10:55 to go.
Glendale held a 37-15 halftime advantage.
Terteryan’s last three-point play padded Glendale’s lead at 41-15 with 17:45 remaining in the second half.
“It’s just about trying to go out there and get some more playing experience,” Terteryan said. “I also just want to try to help the team get better.
“I’m trying to find ways to get quicker and stronger, so that it will help me out for next season.”
Vargas, a junior forward, also provided Glendale with a spark.
He scored on a layup to give the Nitros a 7-2 lead before making a short jump shot from the right side to make it 21-6 with 7:40 to go.
“I saw our guys go out there and they were eager to show their tenacity and willingness to play hard,” Belou said. “You have guys like Dante, who gives us versatility. He knows a lot is expected of him and you just want to see him playing with confidence.”
Hoover struggled early on and couldn’t catch Glendale.
“Glendale’s bench is much deeper than ours and that showed a lot today,” Hoover Coach Jack Van Patten said. “I thought our level of communication was an issue. We don’t have everybody here all the time, whether it’s a practice or game.
“You go with who you have and everybody gets a chance to see what they can and can’t do.”
Hoover got six points from Roman Zohrabyan.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
