Hamlet Nalbandyan
Friday was proof why Arpa Gregorian is a difference maker -- be it
good or bad.
The Hoover High girls' basketball player didn't play in the first
half of the consolation-bracket game of the Bellarmine-Jefferson
Christmas Classic against Granada Hills Hillcrest Christian, all
because of her annoying habit of getting into unnecessary foul
trouble.
In turn, the Tornadoes looked miserable, making just 24.2% of
their shots in the first 16 minutes against a woeful Eagle squad.
But when Gregorian finally entered the contest in the second half,
Hoover turned a slim five-point advantage into a 54-24 victory at
Bell-Jeff.
The 5-foot-10 senior -- who is a four-year varsity player but
hasn't accomplished much at the high school level because of her
on-court problems -- played just 14 minutes and 8 seconds, but
finished with a game-high 17 points (eight of 12 from the field),
seven rebounds, three steals and a pair of nice assists.
And like she usually does, she also managed to get four fouls --
three of them coming in a two-minute stretch of the third quarter.
"Physically, she can dominate a game," said Hoover Coach Jack Van
Patten of his troubled center. "It's just a matter of getting the
mind to catch up to the body. Hopefully, we can get that before she
graduates.
"Because with her in there, we're a completely different team."
It showed Friday.
Hoover (6-6) managed to lead, 16-11, at halftime, despite a horrid
shooting performance and a four-point second quarter.
The only reason for the advantage was because Hillcrest Christian
(3-7) was just that much worse than Van Patten's group. The Eagles
turned the ball over 15 times in the first half and hit just three of
20 from the field (15%).
But when Gregorian entered the contest in the third quarter, the
game changed, but not immediately.
She picked up her first foul at the 4:52 mark, and picked up two
more in a span of less than two minutes.
However, after that Gregorian was unstoppable. She scored 11
points and grabbed three rebounds in the quarter -- despite being
constantly double teamed by the Eagles -- as Hoover outscored
Hillcrest Christian, 23-6.
After taking a two-minute break at the start of the fourth, she
came in and continued to punish the Eagles, scoring six unanswered
points in a two-minute stretch to put the game out of reach.
Hoover could have used similar play in Thursday's 62-38 loss to
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. Gregorian had just two points before fouling
out in the third quarter.
However, Thursday's dismal performance was not the cause for her
first-half benching.
"I felt pretty confident against [Hillcrest Christian], so I just
wanted as many minutes possible for Arpa," said Van Patten of the
cause for sitting down Gregorian.
Ani Arutyunyan and Julie An also had strong games for the
Tornadoes. Arutyunyan finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, seven
assists and three steals, however, the senior guard shot just six of
23 from the field.
An, the team's point guard, had 12 points and six assists. Twin
sisters Ashlie and Alicia Witkop also performed well.
The sophomores combined for 18 rebounds, with Alicia grabbing 10.
