Canyons Concludes Season With 71-66 Loss to West L.A.

College of the Canyons finished its season with a 71-66 loss to West L.A. College in a game that saw the Cougars play to an eight-point halftime lead before giving way to mistakes down the stretch. 

Canyons (12-16, 2-6) shot a combined 51.1 percent from the floor, but converted on just 4-of-18 from long range and committed 15 second half turnovers. West L.A. (15-11, 3-5) also outrebounded the Cougars by a 31-25 margin.

COC led 35-27 at the break behind 16 first half points from freshman Michael Kalu. Sophomore Chris Collins also got off to a hot start, converting on 5-of-6 first half shot attempts as the Cougars appeared to be in control though through the early going.

But in the second half Kalu was only able to get off two shots as the Wildcat defense began to clamp down. He finished the game with 18 points and two steals. Collins had 11 points and five rebounds before fouling out.

West L.A. tied the game at 37-37 in the opening minutes of the second half, and eventually seized a 44-43 lead with 13:35 to play.

Garrett Harding's three-point shot tied the game for COC at 49-49 with just over 10 minutes to go.

Lter, reshman Jacob Lilley brought Canyons to within a point at 63-62 with his layup at the one-minute mark, but the Cougars could not find any other offensive momentum. Lilley scored 10 of the team's final 12 points. He finished the game with 11 points and two assists. 

Jason Horosny was COC's second leading scorer, with the freshman netting 14 points and a team-high six rebounds off the bench. 

Prior to tip-off, the team hosted a brief ceremony to honor Collins and fellow sophomores Garret Mike and Alex Sanchez for playing in the final game at COC. 

Canyons finishes the season fourth place in the Western State Conference (WSC), South division The Cougars will miss the postseason for a second straight season after qualifying in 2014-15.

—Story and photos by Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information