Glendale Community College’s shooting woes lead to conference loss

GLENDALE — Subpar first-half shooting put the Glendale College women’s basketball team in a hole it couldn’t emerge from, as it dropped its fifth straight Western State Conference game Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Vaqueros showed more efficiency and confidence in the second half against visiting West Los Angeles College, but succumbed to clutch baskets on the other end and fell, 59-48, at home.

“We were getting good looks, just not finishing,” said Vaqueros Coach Carrie Miller, whose team of all first-year players has lost seven of its last eight games. “We missed a lot of layups. We finish those and it’s a different ball game.”

“We missed a lot of shots — just couldn’t get into it,” said Glendale guard Olivia Ochoa, echoing her coach’s sentiments.

Despite shooting 21% in the first half, the Lady Vaqueros trailed by a manageable 28-21 margin going into the break.

Ochoa scored nine of the team’s first 13 second-half points, including a three-point play that brought Glendale (6-19, 2-7 in conference) to within three, 37-34.

As was the story of the second half, however, the Wildcats (15-8, 5-3) responded with a three-pointer that kept the Vaqueros at bay. West LA College would hit five from behind the arc in the second of the 20-minute frames.

The Wildcats’ Cheyenne Bonam connected on three of them and her 11 points in the second half helped seal the victory.

Bonam scored 17 points and pulled down six rebounds. Ashlie Bruner led the Wildcats with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists. As a team, West LA College shot 50% from the field, including 12 of 23 in the second half.

“In the second half, we started making shots and were able to get back into the game,” said Ochoa, whose 17 points and five assists led the team. “We were working so hard to get close and then we got close, but then they hit a shot on the other end. It destroyed us.”

Flintridge Sacred Heart graduate Lana Haddad added 12 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes on the floor. Eight of her 12 came in a second half in which the Lady Vaqueros didn’t get closer than three points and never led after the Wildcats took a 9-7 advantage early in the first.

GCC will look to end its five-game skid and finish the regular season strong as they travel to Santa Monica College Wednesday to take on the Corsairs in another Western State Conference match-up.

“The girls play hard — day in, day out,” Miller said. “They give 100% effort, but when you’re not finishing games the confidence just isn’t there.”