Glendale girls’ basketball rally for win over La Salle
BURBANK — During the first half of its summer league game against La Salle High on Wednesday night, the Glendale girls’ basketball team fell in a rut.
The Nitros were stagnant throughout the game’s opening 20 minutes and were in need of somebody to help them turn the corner on offense.
Glendale found Tara Abdul-Ahad to lead a second-half charge.
Abdul-Ahad scored 18 of her game-high 21 points in the second half to lead Glendale to a 40-28 victory at Burbank High.
“I’m always looking for that first shot,” Abdul-Ahad said. “Once I can make that shot, it gives me more confidence.
“I want to work more on my shooting during the summer.”
La Salle held a 14-8 halftime advantage before the Nitros began the second half on a 15-7 run to take a 23-21 lead with 8:10 remaining on a pair of free throws by Abdul-Adad. It was Glendale’s first lead and the Lancers couldn’t regroup. Abdul-Ahad had 10 points in that stretch.
“We played two games Tuesday at Burroughs against Saugus and Granada Hills,” said Glendale Coach Tania Adary, who received five points from Rinet Apelian. “Both times, we needed to do something and that was attack.”
“We attacked a little more [Wednesday] in the paint in the second half and we hit our shots from all over.”
Apelian made a three-pointer to give Glendale a 26-21 lead with 7:21 left. A jump shot by Abdul-Adad gave the Nitros a 32-24 lead with 3:30 remaining.
Abdul-Ahad completed her second-half scoring barrage on a layup with 34 seconds remaining to make it 40-28.
La Salle Coach Kevin Cormier, whose team went 20-8 and appeared in the playoffs last season, said the Lancers struggled to make the proper adjustments in the second half.
“Give Glendale all the credit,” said Cormier, who received eight points from Billie Rude and seven from Christal Haynes. “They knocked down their shots in the second half.
“We got away from doing the job on the boards in the second half, our intensity level dipped a little bit and they out hustled us.
“It’s only our sixth game in summer and it’s an opportunity to see who can do what. It’s sort of like an evaluation process.”
La Salle took a 12-6 lead on a layup by Denise Peterson with 3:05 left in the first half.
