Glendora, CA (Women’s Basketball) -- In the season long struggle for the Citrus College Women’s Basketball team, the Lady Owls have been waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel. They’ve been waiting for the chance to spoil someone’s party, and the chance to rain on their parade. The Lady Owls saw that chance slip right through their fingers Wednesday night as they lost to Glendale College 57-65 in overtime.
The Lady Owls were ready for Glendale coming out shooting 41.4% from the field in the 1st half. The 1st half would prove to be back and forth as it saw 7 lead changes, with no lead being greater than 5 points the entire half. The Lady Owls would finally take control with 5:48 to play, after JaTon Parham hit a jumper in the lane to put Citrus up by 1.
The Lady Owls would push their lead to 5 points, before Glendale’s Paola Gupilan hit a jumper to cut the Citrus lead to 1 with 1:04 to go in the 1st half. After each team traded missed jumpers, Jenny Sirk hit a huge 3-pointer with 2 seconds left in the half to give the Lady Owls a 4 point lead and tons of momentum heading into the 2nd half of basketball.
To start the 2nd half Glendale would briefly take the lead, but the Lady Owls would regain it with 10:34 left on the clock, after Alex Arreola hit a jump shot off a Shatonn Harris steal and assist. In the 2nd half alone the Lady Owls shot 48.1% from the field and 50% from beyond the 3-point arc, helping push their lead to as large as 8 with 5:19 to play.
At the 3:40 mark, Glendale would make their move with a 9-0 run that was capped off with the Vaqueros taking the lead after Gupilan hit a 3 to give Glendale a 2 point lead with 1:43 to go. The Lady Owls quickly tied it back up after JaTon Parham’s jump fell true off an Amunique Henderson assist.
After Glendale’s Deanna Barajas missed a 3-pointer on the Vaquero’s next possession, Parham would rip down the board. With 44 seconds on the clock Alex Arreola hit another jumper to give the Lady Owls their last lead, 2 points with little time left. The Vaqueros would miss their next shot, and Arreola would grab the rebound and get fouled. In a one and one situation Arreola missed the 1st free-throw and Glendale got the ball back with 33 seconds to play.
The Vaqueros would get the ball to Christina Chase who drove through the lane and hit a jumper with 17 seconds left. Arreola would get one more chance to win the game for the Lady Owls, but her shot rolled of the rim, and the game was sent into overtime.
In the overtime period the Lady Owls struggled, as they hit no field goals. Their only point came off a free-throw by Shatonn Harris with 1:29 to go in the extra period. The Lady Owls would be held scoreless the rest of the way, and Glendale would score 8 unanswered points to win the game 65-57.
In the tough loss, Jaton Parham had game highs in points and rebounds with 22 and 14 respectively. Parham was joined by 3 other Lady Owls who scored in double figures. Arreola had a season high 12 points, while Stacy Antonio and Jenny Sirk had 12 and 10 points.
With the loss the Lady Owls fall to 4-21 and 1-7 in conference play. The Lady Owls will be on hiatus this weekend, but resume conference play with a trip to West L.A. College on Wednesday February 14. Tip-off will be at 7:30 p.m. The Lady Owls lone conference win came against the Oilers whom they defeated 80-72 at home earlier in the year.
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