Hoover boys’ basketball wins pair of summer games at Glendale college
GLENDALE — Just a week into the summer season and the members of the Hoover High boys’ basketball team have already showed resilience.
Following a pair of overtime losses Thursday in the opening day of the Glendale College Classic, the Tornadoes showed resolve in bouncing back with a pair of victories Friday.
Chris Sarkisian stood out for Hoover in the first game against L.A. Marshall on Friday, as he finished with 16 points to power the Tornadoes to a 51-38 win. Hoover then posted a 56-55 victory against Grant to conclude its stay in the tournament.
“I liked the way we were able to respond,” Hoover Coach Jack Van Patten said following the contest against Marshall. ‘That’s one of the reasons you play in summer and that’s to find out about team character and being able to respond in different types of situations.
“This is the time of year to learn and get you ready for the season.”
Sarkisian had nine points in the second half to trigger the Tornadoes, who lost an overtime game to St. Francis and a double-overtime contest to Pacific League-rival Burroughs on Thursday.
Sarkisian grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a layup to give the Tornadoes a 33-17 lead with 15:30 remaining in the second half.
“I think it started with us being able to play some real good defense and that helped pave the way for us to do well going to offense,” Sarkisian said. “We were coming off a couple of tough losses, so we were looking to bounce back in a big way.
“We got a lot of people to contribute.”
Hoover got 12 points from Kevin Nazari and eight from Rodrick Karamkhodian against Marshall.
Argin Sarkisian scored on a layup to give the Tornadoes a 27-15 advantage with 58 seconds left in the first half. Earlier in the first half, Nazari made a three-pointer to provide the Tornadoes with a 16-4 lead with 11:56 remaining in the first half. Hoover held a 29-15 halftime lead.
“When Chris is playing well, that helps us a lot,” Van Patten said. “He made some big baskets and he provides the team with a lot of experience, along with Argin and Kevin.
“I think we have a good rotation of about seven or eight players. Now, we just want to get the others involved and try to make the rotation better.”
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Follow Charles Rich on Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich.
