Glendale girls’ basketball headed in right direction

BURBANK — Things are looking much the same for the Glendale High girls’ basketball team in the summer as they were in the winter.

With the roster intact following a playoff appearance last season, the Nitros appear to be clicking during the early stages of summer, thanks to a big effort from a sibling tandem.

Claire Yanai finished with 13 points and Jillian Yanai added nine on Tuesday to propel Glendale to a 40-21 victory against Saugus in a Burroughs High Summer League contest.

“We’ve played eight games and we are pleased with where we are at,” said second-year Glendale Coach Tadeh Mardirosian, whose team went 3-2 in a recent tournament in Palm Springs that included a win against Huntington Beach. “We’ve been playing some quality teams along the way and we continue to build our confidence level.

“We’ve got everybody back and they bought into the system last year. Now, we have a much more experienced and established team.”

Glendale, which suffered a 53-33 defeat against Valencia Valencia earlier in the day, raced out to a 12-0 lead against Saugus. A layup and steal by Merina Latu made it 12-0 with 15:13 remaining in the first half.

Claire Yanai, who received All-Pacific League accolades last season, made a long jump shot from the left side to give the Nitros an 8-0 lead with 16:20 to go.

Claire Yanai, a senior guard, said it was important for the Nitros to build a big lead.

“We get more confidence because we all know each other and you can start working on other parts of our game,” Claire Yanai said. “It can allow you to experiment with the lineup.”

Glendale, which advanced to the first round of the CIF southern Section Division I-A playoffs last season, held a 24-13 halftime advantage.

A jump shot by Jillian Yanai gave the Nitros a 36-19 lead with 4:55 left in the game.

Jillian Yanai, a junior guard who received all-league honorable mention last season, said Glendale might be in position to challenge for the league championship in the winter.

“Right now, I see a very bright future with all of our players,” Jillian Yanai said. “Everybody has been stepping up to the challenge.

“There’s some things I’m trying to work on, like trying to become more of an offensive force. There’s just so much to like about our team.”

Glendale competed without Sylvia Vartazarian and Cynthia Zamora. Vartazarian, a reigning all-league first-team selection, was ill. Zamora missed the contest with an ankle injury.

Their absences paved the way for the Nitros to get other players involved.

“It’s a team that fights and is resilient,” said Mardirosian, who previously served as an assistant on the school’s boys’ team. “It’s a time when we can get the players to test for playing different positions.

“We definitely have a team heading in the right direction and we are excited about the prospects. “