Glendale shocks Trade Tech with 75-68 win for Holiday Tournament Title

Penelopi Trieu might not have known it at the time but her near half-court shot to end the third quarter not only gave the Lady Vaqs a six point lead, but was a sign of bigger things to come.

Those bigger things added up to a 75-68 victory for GCC, arguably the biggest win in school history over a Trade Tech team that was ranked No. 2 in Southern California and No. 3 in the state. The Lady Vaqs are now 11-1 overall and riding a nine game winning streak after claiming the inaugural Glendale College Holiday Tournament  Title on their home floor in the Verdugo Gym. Their ranking of No. 12 in Southern California is bound to improve with the impressive win.

A key to the win had to be the Lady Vaqs ability to keep the high powered Beavers offense in check and they checked that box by ball hawking the Trade Tech into just 34.5 percent shooting from the field and a dismal 18.5 percent from the three point line including zero for seven in the fourth quarter. Glendale came out fast as they led 23-12 in the first quarter thanks to a 10-0 run and went into the break with a 36-29 lead.

Once again, Glendale's scoring balance was key as the starters combined for 48 points led by tournament MVP Sylvia Vartazarian with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while the bench chipped in with 27 points led by reserve guard Sarah Perez who had 10 points. They shot 48 percent from the field on 26 of 54 and an impressive 45 percent from the three point line. Sophomore guard Cheyenne Jankulovski was also named to the all-tournament team despite scoring just six points but was key to the win as GCC's floor leader.

Trade Tech was paced by guards and all-tournament selections Cheyenne Givens with 30 points and Cheyenne McKinnie had 25.

Glendale played next December 29 in a home contest against El Camino at 3 pm in the Verdugo Gym.