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GLENDALE WOMEN TAKE SECOND IN ARMENIA
Glendale News Press
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/sports/tn-gnp-sp-women-20110829,0,4810429.story
Aug 29, 2011
CA
Basketball: Locally-based women's team comes up short against Tehran
in championship
By Edgar Melik-Stepanyan, Special to the News-Press August 29, 2011 |
6:36 p.m.
He said his team was treated like family, the country was beautiful
and the people were magnificent.
Menooa Aboolian, the head coach of the Glendale women's basketball
team representing the Homenetmen Ararat chapter that participated in
the fifth Pan-Armenian Games, said the trip to Yerevan, Armenia was
nearly perfect.
"Almost," he said.
After breezing through its first six games and enjoying the country,
Glendale took on a team from Tehran that Aboolian said was filled
with professional players. Glendale couldn't match up with Tehran,
losing, 86-67, on Aug. 21 in the championship game.
"We were up by nine in the first quarter and then they came back, tied
it up, took a little lead in the third, and in the fourth quarter,
they went on a run and ended it that way," Aboolian said.
"They had one player who we couldn't guard. She had over 30 points
and 20 rebounds against us."
A day before the final, Glendale avenged its loss to Yerevan - a team
that it lost to in the 2007 championship game - with what Aboolian
called a "blowout victory."
"It was by more than 40 points," he said.
Glendale had easy victories throughout pool play and the playoffs.
"The teams were very, very weak. Extremely weak," said Glendale guard
Aileen Vartanian, who graduated from Hoover High. "Once we started
seeing the competition, we knew we wouldn't have a problem."
Vartanian played a crucial role, starting alongside Glendale High
graduates Melia Basavand and Anna Shahinian, CV's Ella Stepanian,
and Arpine Amirkhanyan.
"We had a team that everybody wanted to play together," Aboolian said.
"Everybody went out of their way to make their teammates better. The
girls were really focused on doing the best they can, to try to win
the championship."
Despite the success in pool play, Vartanian said disappointment summed
up the tournament.
"We had a clear way to the finals," she said. "Honestly, it's hard
because the referees interpret the games a lot differently. We play
rough. Over there, you can't play rough."
Vartanian and Co. played without star Christine Kepenekian, a Burbank
High graduate and former member of the Ararat Women's Basketball team.
Kepenekian tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during
the annual Homenetmen Navasartian Games on July 2 and missed the games.
"With or without Christine, the expectations were still the same,"
Aboolian said. "We still had the same goal to win the championship. We
might not have gotten the first-place banner we wanted, but everybody
got the experience of a lifetime."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Glendale News Press
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/sports/tn-gnp-sp-women-20110829,0,4810429.story
Aug 29, 2011
CA
Basketball: Locally-based women's team comes up short against Tehran
in championship
By Edgar Melik-Stepanyan, Special to the News-Press August 29, 2011 |
6:36 p.m.
He said his team was treated like family, the country was beautiful
and the people were magnificent.
Menooa Aboolian, the head coach of the Glendale women's basketball
team representing the Homenetmen Ararat chapter that participated in
the fifth Pan-Armenian Games, said the trip to Yerevan, Armenia was
nearly perfect.
"Almost," he said.
After breezing through its first six games and enjoying the country,
Glendale took on a team from Tehran that Aboolian said was filled
with professional players. Glendale couldn't match up with Tehran,
losing, 86-67, on Aug. 21 in the championship game.
"We were up by nine in the first quarter and then they came back, tied
it up, took a little lead in the third, and in the fourth quarter,
they went on a run and ended it that way," Aboolian said.
"They had one player who we couldn't guard. She had over 30 points
and 20 rebounds against us."
A day before the final, Glendale avenged its loss to Yerevan - a team
that it lost to in the 2007 championship game - with what Aboolian
called a "blowout victory."
"It was by more than 40 points," he said.
Glendale had easy victories throughout pool play and the playoffs.
"The teams were very, very weak. Extremely weak," said Glendale guard
Aileen Vartanian, who graduated from Hoover High. "Once we started
seeing the competition, we knew we wouldn't have a problem."
Vartanian played a crucial role, starting alongside Glendale High
graduates Melia Basavand and Anna Shahinian, CV's Ella Stepanian,
and Arpine Amirkhanyan.
"We had a team that everybody wanted to play together," Aboolian said.
"Everybody went out of their way to make their teammates better. The
girls were really focused on doing the best they can, to try to win
the championship."
Despite the success in pool play, Vartanian said disappointment summed
up the tournament.
"We had a clear way to the finals," she said. "Honestly, it's hard
because the referees interpret the games a lot differently. We play
rough. Over there, you can't play rough."
Vartanian and Co. played without star Christine Kepenekian, a Burbank
High graduate and former member of the Ararat Women's Basketball team.
Kepenekian tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during
the annual Homenetmen Navasartian Games on July 2 and missed the games.
"With or without Christine, the expectations were still the same,"
Aboolian said. "We still had the same goal to win the championship. We
might not have gotten the first-place banner we wanted, but everybody
got the experience of a lifetime."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress