Canyons Keeps No. 14 West L.A. at Bay with 87-84 Road Win

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

CULVER CITY, Calif. — College of the Canyons had all five starters score in double figures, including a game-high 23 points from freshman Christopher Bradford, to get past host West L.A. 87-84 on Saturday.

With eight games remaining on the docket, Canyons (9-9, 2-4) sits three games back of Western State Conference (WSC), South Division co-leaders, and state ranked, No. 7 Santa Monica and No. 30 Citrus College.

West L.A. (15-5, 4-2) entered Saturday's contest as the state's No. 14 ranked squad, having won four of its last five games. 

Canyons kept pace with the Wildcats throughout the opening half, settling for a 36-36 tie at the break. Nine of Bradford's 23 points came in that period to lead the Cougars. He also finished the afternoon with eight rebounds and a game-high 10 assists across 37 minutes of action.

Freshman Joel Carrillo and Michael Davidson scored 15 apiece, follow by Zach Phipps with 14 and Virgil Mahoney at 13. Mahoney recorded two blocks and tied with Bradford for the team-high with eight boards.

Despite struggling from three-point territory the Cougars combined to shoot better than 47 percent from the floor and committed just six turnovers in the contest. The Wildcats, meanwhile, committed 15 turnovers and did not record a single steal.

West L.A. guard Christian McCray scored 21 points on an 8-of-16 shooting night to lead the Cats, and equaled the game-high rebounding total with eight.

The Wildcats received 44 bench points compared to just seven for the Cougars, who were forced to play with just a seven-man rotation.

The Cougars' victory over West L.A. was the second of the season vs. a state-ranked opponent.

COC previously beat a then No. 19 ranked Ventura squad 82-80 back on Nov. 15. Canyons also defeated Ventura by a 76-67 margin on Jan. 4, however, the Pirates were not included in the state's top-30 at that point. VC is currently ranked No. 18 according the most recent California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCMBCA) statewide poll.

Canyons returns to the Cougar Cage on Wednesday, Jan.29, for a 7 p.m. tip vs. conference rival Bakersfield College. The action continues with a home contest vs. Antelope Valley College at 7 p.m. on Saturday. 

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 Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

—Photo by Tori Pricey