Herrick Gets to 599 Wins as Cougars Go 2-1 at Gilcrest Tourney

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

VISALIA — College of the Canyons won a pair of tight games vs. state ranked opponents, bringing head coach Greg Herrick's career win total to 599, before falling to top-ranked San Joaquin Delta College in the championship game of the 45th Annual Gilcrest Invitational played at Porter Field House Dec. 2-4. 

The 61-42 loss to No. 1 San Joaquin Delta (9-0) was the first of the season for Canyons (8-1) which entered the game at 8-0 for the first time in program history.

COC led 13-11 after the first quarter but trailed through the remainder of the game in large part due to a 26.2 percent team shooting percentage and 35 turnovers.

Sophomore Justice Walters was the Cougars' high scorer at 17 points. No other player reached double digit point totals. Lulu Salloom pulled down 15 rebounds to go with five steals and four assists but couldn't find her normal offensive rhythm. Malia Semana finished the game with five assists.

Canyons was perhaps a bit fatigued in Saturday's championship matchup vs. Delta after playing to a 65-61 overtime win vs. Mt. San Antonio College (SAC) the night before.

The win over the No. 10 Mounties (7-3) was the second of the season for Canyons. COC was also a 79-74 victor over Mt. SAC back on Nov. 19. This time around, it took a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Walter to send the game into OT at 56-56. She finished the game with 12 points and was 2-of-3 from behind the arc.

In the extra period, Canyons took a 63-61 lead into the final nine seconds. Semana made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to four points and force a desperation last attempt from the Mounties. Semana led all scorers in the game with 21 points on a 7-of-12 shooting night. She had five assists and four steals in the game.

Salloom ended the game with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Monique Febles finished with 10 points and a game-high seven steals.

The Cougars started the weekend with a 60-58 win over tournament host No. 11 College of the Sequoias. 

This time it was Diamyn Davis with 17 points to lead all players in the game. The sophomore also went 3-of-4 from the foul line late in the fourth quarter to help hold off COS.

Walters with 16 points off the bench and Febles with 12 points gave the Cougars a strong trio of scorers in the game. Salloom had six assists and 15 rebounds, while chipping in with eight points. 

Herrick, currently in his 30th year and 29th season as head coach of the Cougars, now sits at 599 career wins at the college. During that span his teams have won 16 Western State Conference (WSC) Championships and qualified for the postseason in 25 seasons.

Canyons will next plan Friday, Dec. 17 vs. Rio Hondo College at the Glendale Crossover Tournament hosted by Glendale College. That game is scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. The Cougars are also scheduled to play Allan Hancock at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Glendale College.

COC will enter the tourney as the No. 4 ranked team in the state and the No. 2 team in Southern California according to the most recent CCCWBCA statewide coaches poll.

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.