Canyons Falls in Consolation Finals to Finish Tourney 1-2

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

VALLEY GLEN — College of the Canyons posted a 1-2 record at the annual 'We Are MC' Invitational hosted by Moorpark College, with the Cougars using a day-two bounce-back victory over Pasadena City College to advance to the consolation bracket's championship game..

The tourney, which had to be relocated to the campus of L.A. Valley College due to wildfires that impacted the Moorpark campus, was held Nov. 7-9, and attracted a field of eight teams.

Canyons was handed a day-one setback in the form of 71-28 loss to San Jose City College (3-1) on Thursday. COC shot just over 20 percent for the game and went 2-of-29 from behind the arc.  

Highlights for the Cougars included a team-high 11 points from Mia Ceja. Jenny Sanchez was next with eight points and four rebounds. Alissa Saridin tied for the game high with eight boards, while Alexis Ruelas finished with seven. 

Canyons Bounces Back 58-55 Over Pasadena City

COC got back on track with a tight 58-55 win over Pasadena City College on Friday morning, despite the Lancers establishing a 33-31 lead heading into the half.

Canyons got out to a hot start with a 24-point outburst in the opening quarter that included five points from starter Kiana Postchy and was seconded by Sanchez' six points off the bench.  

COC started the game 11-of-16 from the field but, unfortunately, would not see that trend continue in the second quarter. Instead, Pasadena clamped down defensively recording five steals and forcing the Cougars into eight turnovers. Meanwhile, the Canyons' shooters went cold with Cia's five in the frame representing all but two points of the total offensive output. 

Following the break Canyons started to put things back together with five players scoring in the quarter and the Cougars able to establish a 47-43 lead. Ruelas buried a big three-pointer and Saridin dominated the glass with six rebounds, three on the offensive end, to keep the offensive opportunities coming. Saridin and Sanchez both scored four points in the quarter.

Pasadena (1-4) found a one-point edge across the final 10 minutes, and probably hung around longer than they should have with Canyons missing four free throws in the final 40 seconds, but ultimately couldn't come all the way back. 

Ceja led Canyons with 13 points while Saridin's final line included 12 points, four assists and a game-high 17 rebounds. Sanchez led the reserves with 12 points alongside four assists and a pair of blocks. Postchy's night ended with eight points and five rebounds. 

Cougars Fall to L.A. Valley 83-48 in Consolation Finals 

The victory over Pasadena propelled Canyons into the championship game of the tourney's consolation bracket on Saturday. The matchup vs. L.A. Valley also provided an early season preview of one of the Cougars' conference opponents. 

Unfortunately, the Monarchs (2-1) came out hot and were able to establish an unsurmountable 44-21 lead after two quarters. 

Once again, Canyons struggled from three-point territory with a 16 percent mark compared to a combined 44.4 percent from LAVC. The Cougars also turned the ball over 16 times.

Ceja and Sanchez combined for the bulk of the COC attack, while Seradin continued to dominate the boards with another game-high 12 rebounds.  

Sanchez led COC scorers with 15 points, followed by Ceja's 10 points and five assists and Postchy's eight points. Sanchez also pulled down eight rebounds of her own 

L.A. Valley received 26 points from Madison Guerrero to help keep the Monarchs in front for the duration. LAVC outscored COC 20-13 in the final 10 minutes to close things out with an 83-48 final score.

Canyons (2-2) has now alternated wins and losses in its first four games under first-year head coach Robin Hester. 

Hester and crew will next return to the Cougar Cage on Tuesday, Nov. 19, vs. Riverside City College in its first home contest of the season. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. with that game scheduled to be broadcast to fans via YouTube on the Cougars Sports Network. 

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

—Photo by Robert Hanashiro/COC Sports Information