NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Having a steady rebounder on board would be helpful.
Unfortunately for the Holy Family basketball squad, it doesn't.
That showed throughout Holy Family's 45-31 Horizon League-opening loss to Los Angeles Sacred Heart of Jesus on Thursday at the Glendale YMCA.
Sacred Heart (3-8) outrebounded Holy Family, 51-28. It also didn't help that the Gaels (1-14) surrendered 22 second-chance points, highlighting the root of the problem.
"We just got outplayed and outrebounded," Holy Family Coach Victor Diaz said. "We did not do a good job of boxing out and we gave them too many second-chance points.
"We are too small and inexperienced. We have to start from square one and take it from there."
The one bright spot for Holy Family, which qualified for the CIF Southern Section Division IVAA playoffs last season, was the effort turned in by senior standout starting forward Jasmin Viray. Viray finished with a game-high 22 points and added a team-best nine rebounds and two blocks.
Viray agreed with Diaz that rebounding has been the main weakness for the Gaels, who got five points from guard Jenny Fisher despite falling for the fourth time in five games.
"I think we just get confused and scared," said Viray, who notched 13 first-half points. "We rebound well in practice, but we seem to panic in games.
"That's been our main problem and it's been that way the whole year. We just got to play smarter."
Sacred Heart, which is led by former Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy Coach Erik Ross, got 10 points apiece from Sabrina Lopez and Grace Rodriguez.
