Edgar Melik-Stepanyan People sometimes ask Glendale Community...
Edgar Melik-Stepanyan
People sometimes ask Glendale Community College women’s basketball
Coach Dyan Miller what the difference is between her program and
College of the Canyons.
Her response is direct: It’s the players like Kaipresha Price and
Gracie Coronado who make the disparity between a constantly
successful team and a squad that always seems like its on the brink
of becoming an elite team, but usually falls a step or two short.
The predicament Miller faces is that those types of standout
athletes opt to attend her Western State Conference Southern Division
rival instead of helping the Vaqueros take that next step.
GCC’s dilemma continued Saturday in a division game at home.
The Vaqueros played well in some areas, but couldn’t match the
Cougars’ firepower, speed and depth for 40 minutes, falling, 71-50.
However, COC did fall below its season average for scoring, as the
Cougars came into the game pouring in 83 points a game.
Coronado, a freshman from Burroughs High, had planned to attend
GCC to play for Miller, but changed her mind when she saw Canyons’
winning track record. She has emerged as one of the better athletes
in the conference only a year after being named the Leader All-Area
Player of the Year.
“I had decided to go to GCC, but I wanted to go to a more
[established] program,” said Coronado, who entered the contest
averaging 14.2 points per game (second on her team) and shooting 62%
from the field (best in the conference).
Coronado was an instrumental player in the success of the
Burroughs girls’ program for four years. Along with being a two-time
All-CIF Southern Section standout for the Indians, she is also one of
the most successful players in school history.
Last season, Coronado averaged 17.1 points and led the Indians to
a 22-7 record, the biggest win total in school history. She was also
named a Foothill League first-team selection.
The team also advanced to the Division IIA quarterfinals --
another first for the program -- losing to Rancho Santa Margarita,
74-57.
The Vaqueros (12-9, 1-1 in division) limited Coronado to six
points and nine rebounds, but Canyons (17-3, 2-0) was strong enough
to have a sub-par performance from one of its best players and still
blow away an opponent.
Freshmen Krystal Clay (18 points), Linnae Barber (12 points),
Christina Aguinaga (nine points and three steals) and Price (nine
points, eight rebounds and five assists) all had impressive games to
support Coronado.
“They’ve built a [winning] tradition and we’re all trying to do
the same thing,” said Milller, who had also hoped Price would choose
GCC.
“It’s going to take that special kid to see we play hard every
year and come in and help turn this program around.”
The Vaqueros played well midway through each half, but folded once
the pressure mounted. COC had unanswered scoring runs of eight and
seven in the final 12 minutes of the first half to take a 38-26
halftime lead.
Miller’s seven-player squad responded in the second half, trimming
the Cougars’ lead to seven with 7:10 remaining. But Canyons held GCC
to just four points the rest of the way and scored 17 in the process
to pull away.
Freshmen Arpi Babakhanyan and Danielle Johnson and sophomore Kelly
Patterson had 10 points apiece for GCC, which had its four-game
winning streak snapped.
BOX SCORE
Canyons 38 33 --
71
GCC 26 24 --
50
CANYONS
Clay 18, Barber 12, Aguinaga 9 and 3 steals, Price 9, 8
rebounds and 5 assists, Coronado 6, 9 rebounds and 3 steals, De Bose
6, Diaz 6, 10 rebounds and 6 steals, McIntosh 5.
* Three-pointers: Aguinaga, Clay, McIntosh.
GCC
Babakhanyan 10 and 10 rebounds, Johnson 10, Patterson 10 and 3 steals, Lakhan 8 and 4 steals, Basse 6, 8 rebounds and 4
steals, McCoy 4, 5 assists and 5 steals, Hood 2.
* Three-pointers: Johnson.