Takeuchi, Glendale Community College women’s basketball take care of Pierce
GLENDALE — Just 12 games into the season and the Glendale Community College women’s basketball team has already doubled its win output from last season.
With a mix of freshmen and sophomores, the Vaqueros have stockpiled their depth to succeed throughout the first part of the campaign under the direction of first-year coach Joel Weiss.
Chloe Takeuchi has bounced back nicely for Glendale after the Burroughs High product transferred from Santa Barbara before the season.
Takeuchi gave the Vaqueros quite a boost early Wednesday, as she scored 13 of her 14 points in the first half to lead host Glendale to a convincing 67-39 nonconference victory against L.A. Pierce.
“I really like the coaching staff and we’ve built a good working relationship,” said Takeuchi, a freshman forward who made two three-pointers in the first half. “I trust the coaching staff and they have faith in me that I can contribute.
“I think we’re off to a good start because we are cohesive and we have good communication. We’ve been working hard at practice and that’s led to success in games.”
Glendale, which went 3-24 last season, improved to 8-4. The Vaqueros got 11 points each from Brooke Radcliff (Burroughs) and Luna Panosian (Hoover) to turn back Pierce (1-7). Panosian added four steals for the Vaqueros, who got seven points from Angela Basco.
Takeuchi got things started early for the Vaqueros. She made a three-pointer from the right side to give the Vaqueros a 12-4 lead with 5:10 remaining in the first quarter. She then made her second three-pointer two minutes later to make it 17-4
“You make that first shot , then you want to make that next one,” Takeuchi said. “Sometimes you get the green light to shoot. You just have to be in the right position to be able to shoot or pass.”
Katia Dabbaghian (Providence) converted on a three-point play to give Glendale a 26-8 lead with 4:22 to go in the second quarter. She had eight points.
Glendale held a 39-22 halftime advantage.
Glendale, which last qualified for the playoffs in 2003, finished the game making 27 of 53 shots from the floor (50.9%). The Vaqueros made half of their 10 three-point attempts. Pierce made 14 of 44 shots (31.8%).
“I’m happy with where we are right now, but we still have room for improvement,” said Weiss, who served as an assistant on the college’s men’s basketball team last season. “Right now, I’m pleased with our effort
“You can see their intensity in our practices and you want to see that translate over to the games. There’s been good ball pressure and I’ve been happy with our defense during moments of games.”
Pierce received 12 points from Talitha Draper and nine from Heaven Obike.
Glendale won’t compete again until Dec. 16, when it participates in the three-day Antelope Valley Tournament.
