Edgar Melik-Stepanyan
The Glendale Panthers YMCA boys' basketball teams had a tough road
trip to Las Vegas last week for the Las Vegas Summer Classic. The
Panther 14-year-old squad lost three of four games and the
15-year-old team was swept in the tournament.
Glendale's 14-year-olds were the smallest players in the
tournament, according to Coach Mike Hailey. In their first game, the
Panthers met a Bakersfield Dawgs team that had a 6-foot-6 center and
a 6-5 forward. Bakersfield easily prevailed, 73-43.
Razmik Hossepians had 11 points for the Panthers, and Nathanel
Verano and Rafael Gallegos each scored nine points.
Glendale bounced back in its second game with a 54-42 win against
Cheyenne Wyoming, assuring itself a trip to the championship bracket
of the tournament. Hossepians had 11 points, Raymond Beginyan added
10 points and nine rebounds, Neil DeJesus contributed 10 points and
four assists and Davd Lee chipped in nine points.
Gallegos finished with eight points, and Jalal Saleh and Elvin
Youhanna had two points apiece. Verano had one point and seven
rebounds.
The Panthers then met ABC Hoops of Los Angeles and suffered a
52-42 setback. Glendale kept the score close, but eight straight
turnovers and a 15-2 run by ABC Hoops kept the Panthers from winning
their second tournament game.
DeJesus led the Panthers with 13 points and five steals. Beginyan
had 10 points and seven rebounds and Bryan Aghakhani had six points
and five rebounds.
Without two of its players, the Panthers lost to the Vallejo
Vipers, 85-74, in their final game. Beginyan led the Panthers with 16
points and 12 rebounds. Hossepians recorded 15 points and Aghakhani
posted 12 points and eight rebounds.
"Every team we played had at least four players over 6-3,"
Glendale assistant coach Marvin Arevalo said. "We hung in there,
though, and played hard.
"We had a lot of fun and this will be an experience that will help
them play for Glendale or Hoover in the fall."
Glendale's 15-year-old team traveled to Las Vegas with five
players. Hailey had to use several 14-year-olds to play for the older
squad.
The Panthers lost their four games by an average of 40.5 points.
Sevada Markosyan, Theo Minassian, Matt Arevalo and David Lee all
played well for Glendale.
"These 15-year-old teams up here are bigger and better than most
varsity teams back home," Marvin Arevalo said. "We had seven of our
14-year-olds playing up just to fill out the 15-year-old roster, so
the kids were tired."
