1989 Los Angeles Times ALL-STARS : ALL-GLENDALE GIRLS : Talented Team Stands Tall on Court Despite a Lack of Size

When it comes to writing the definitive account of girls’ basketball in the Glendale area for the 1988-89 season, you wind up with a short story instead of a tall tale.

Simply put, the best players just didn’t measure up inside.

Didn’t measure up beside the ruler, that is. When it comes to measuring desire, performance and talent, the players on The Times’ all-Glendale team rank at the top of any class.

A look at the all-area team:

Lia Petrossian: At 5-foot-6, Petrossian was one of the Dynamiters’ best defenders and she usually roamed the low post. Scoring was her forte, however, and because she relied primarily on her left hand, Petrossian often confused opponents. She scored 28 points against Pasadena. She scored 22 in Glendale’s first-round playoff win over Montebello. In addition to being selected to the All-Pacific League team, Petrossian was named Glendale’s co-captain and co-most valuable player.

Angela Armendariz: Besides being close friends off the court, Armendariz and Petrossian provided an effective one-two punch for Glendale (18-7). Armendariz, who scored 26 points once and 25 twice, shared the captain’s duties and the team’s most valuable player award with Petrossian. She was also the No. 1 safety valve for the frequently double-teamed Petrossian. Armendariz scored 17 points against Morningside, the eventual state champion, in a playoff loss. Angela and her sister, Christiane, have won the National Junior Doubles Badminton Championships in the 13-, 15- and 18-and-under divisions.

Juliana Holmstrom: Last season, Holmstrom was named the Tornadoes’ most improved player and was selected to the Pacific League second team. She did that performance one better this season, leading Hoover in scoring and averaging 7.0 rebounds a game. Holmstrom relied on perimeter shooting for the bulk of her 16.0 scoring average and shot about 60% from the free-throw line.

Krista Granger: Christine Clark speaks of Granger in a wistful tone. The Franklin coach is well aware of how close she was to retaining this season’s Prep League MVP and the younger sister of Patina Granger, one of the best players to suit up for Franklin. Krista Granger attended Franklin her freshman year but transferred to Pacific Christian in 1986. This season, she led her new league in scoring and steals (6.7 a game) and was third in rebounds.

Maria Kim: The Hoover offense depended to a great degree on Kim’s ability to drive the lane and dish the ball to open teammates. “She single-handedly breaks presses,” Glendale Coach Paul Broneer said. “I think we would have blown them out every time if she didn’t play. She came out and it would be disastrous.” Kim averaged 7.0 assists a game.

Laura Oki: Though Oki penetrated well for Marshall, she was most effective with perimeter shots. “She is probably the best perimeter shooter in the 3-A, if not the 4-A,” Eagle Rock Coach Ivan Simon said. She finished with 31 three-point baskets, including three against Morningside. She also averaged 4.3 steals a game and made 60% of her free throws. “She kind of makes it happen,” Barrister Coach Wendy Triplett said. “The game wouldn’t be as controlled or as fast without her.”

Renate Winter: At 5-foot-9, Winter posed quite an obstacle for opponents who tried to drive the paint. She was an All-City selection last season and was a major factor in the Barristers’ City Section 3-A Division championship drive. She averaged 7.1 rebounds a game. Simon said: “The whole Marshall team is very good but (Winter’s) one player who has the size and aggressiveness to play at the college level.”

Maya Taylor: Fortunately for Simon, the one varsity player returning from this season’s 16-5 team will be Taylor, a three-year starter. Taylor helped the Eagles to a tie for first place in the Northeast League. In addition to leading the team in scoring, she was also tops in rebounds (15.2 a game) and steals. “Going into every game, teams knew she would be the player to stop,” Simon said. Roosevelt players couldn’t stop Taylor in the tournament quarterfinals--she scored 16 points and grabbed 25 rebounds in the losing effort. She maintains a 3.5 grade-point average.

Julie Serote: The Falcons won just one league game but Serote was as tenacious as any defender in the area. “They’d be down by 40 and she’d still be stealing the ball,” Broneer said. Serote, a team captain who was named most improved player after her freshman season, led Crescenta Valley in rebounds with 10 a game. She maintains a 3.9 grade-point average and plans to attend Pepperdine or UC Santa Barbara.

Berlyn Cosman: The only sophomore selected to the All-Glendale team, Cosman scored in double figures in 18 of 20 games. She was the Falcons’ top scorer, averaged 8.0 rebounds a game and was named to the all-tournament team in the L. A. Valley tournament.

1989 ALL-STARS

The all-star boys and girls teams, each consisting of 10 members, their coaches and parents will be guests of The Times at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 2, at the annual Times High School Basketball Awards Brunch where all-stars teams from 12 circulation areas will be honored at the Anaheim Hilton. The featured speaker will be George Yardley, a former All-American at Stanford University, who went on to become the first player ever to score more than 2,000 points in an NBA season. The players and the coaches of the year from each area will be announced.

The teams were chosen on the basis of a poll of area coaches, who are asked to fill out ballots nominating their own players and opponents, plus the observations of college scouts and sportswriters. Each player will recieve the traditional Times golden basketball plaque and award certificate.

GIRLS TEAM Name: Lia Petrossian School: Glendale Year: Senior Height: 5-6 Average: 17.1 Name: Angela Armendariz School: Glendale Year: Senior Height: 5-6 Average: 16.2 Name: Juliana Holmstrom School: Hoover Year: Junior Height: 5-8 Average: 16.0 Name: Krista Granger School: Pacific Christian Year: Senior Height: 5-5 Average: 23.4 Name: Maria Kim School: Hoover Year: Senior Height: 5-4 Average: 13.0 Name: Laura Oki School: Marshall Year: Junior Height: 5-4 Average: 15.0 Name: Renate Winter School: Marshall Year: Senior Height: 5-9 Average: 9.5 Name: Maya Taylor School: Eagle Rock Year: Junior Height: 5-6 Average: 13.7 Name: Julie Serote School: Crescenta Valley Year: Senior Height: 5-8 Average: 9.6 Name: Berlyn Cosman School: Crescenta Valley Year: Sophomore Height: 5-6 Average: 17.6 ALL-GLENDALE GIRLS’ SECOND TEAM

Pos. Name School Ht. Yr. Avg. C Michelle Ahnstedt Hoover 5-11 Sr. 11.0 F Alina Zakikian Glendale 5-6 Sr. 8.1 G Jenny Nicholas Sacred Heart 5-5 Jr. 8.3 G Nicky Liem Flintridge Prep 5-4 Sr. 9.0 F Brenda Teng Franklin 5-6 Jr. 10.5 F Lisa Khuu Marshall 5-6 Jr. 14.4 F Tina Chimarios Marshall 5-7 Jr. 19.7 F Karen Pearson Flintridge Prep 5-9 So. 10.8 F Jessely Orpilla Holy Family 5-5 Sr. 9.0 G Jennifer Dalton Glendale 5-6 Fr. 9.0