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.