“It’s all about instinct,” said Mirzaeian, who made two three-pointers in a row to give Glendale a 6-0 lead with 15:05 left in the first half. “I don’t plan things out, so I just let everything come to me.
“I have a lot of confidence in my shot and I know when to shoot and when not to.”
Glendale trailed, 17-14, at halftime. Then Mirzaeian went to work in the second half to spur the Nitros, who advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs after a fifth-place finish in the Pacific League last season.
She made one of two free throws to knot the game at 24 with 6:19 left before making a three-pointer to give Glendale a 27-24 lead. The Nitros never trailed the rest of the way.
“We started off with a 6-0 lead, and then [Simi Valley] killed us with some second-chance baskets,” Glendale Coach Tania Adary said. “We were able to get bodies on people and spread the floor.
“We were able to spread the floor for Serah.”
Mirzaeian finished with 16 second-half points to help seal the victory.
Adary said Ghazarian injured herself during the closing seconds of a summer league contest Saturday against Twentynine Palms in Palm Springs. Adary said Ghazarian might return to the team in two weeks.
“It’s a big loss for us, but at the same time, others can step in and learn to fill in roles,” said Adary, who received four points from forward/guard Cynthia Garcia. “We’ll see where we can put the players and if they can step up.”
The Pioneers, who compete in the Marmonte League, used a 9-0 run to take a 9-6 lead with 11:32 left in the first half, forcing Adary to call a timeout.
Glendale will next compete in another Burroughs Summer League contest at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
It will also face Saugus at 3 p.m. July 14 and Chaminade at 3 p.m. July 21.
CHARLES RICH covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3228 or charles.rich@latimes.com.
