Canyons Falls to .500 After Run at Irvine Valley Classic Tourney

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

IRVINE — College of the Canyons suffered a pair of losses during the two-day Irvine Valley College Classic Nov. 9-11, seeing its early-season record dip to .500.

Canyons (2-2) fell 69-56 to Cerritos College in its tourney opener despite a 22-point performance from sophomore Mason Savery.

Savery, who led all scorers, carried the load for a Cougars squad that received 22 bench points but featured just one starter in double figures. 

Sophomore Jonah El-Farra ended with 11 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. Jacob Gonzalez and Isaiah Ortega helped pace the offense with four assists each.

COC shot a combined 34.5 percent from the floor, including a 6-of-18 mark from behind the arc. The Cougars were partially undone by their 16 turnovers, with 10 coming in the second half.

Cerritos (1-2) also struggled shooting the ball for a mark just under 45 percent. The Falcons were just 3-of-22 from three-point land. 

On the tournament's second day, it was Canyons dropping an 82-72 result to Ventura College (2-3). 

Again, it was Savery leading all scorers with 24 points alongside eight rebounds and three assists. His point total was aided by an 8-of-10 shooting day from the foul line. 

Joshua Barnett was next with 17 points, including a pair of three-pointers, and was active on both ends with six boards, two steals and a pair of blocks. El-Farra led the reserves with 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and a trio of steals. 

However, the Cougars still managed to shoot just under 41 percent for the game and were charged with 17 turnovers. 

Ventura received 21 points from Caleb Geisendorfer and had two other starters finish in double digits. The Pirates were better than 81 percent from the foul line and won the turnover battle 17-16 but were outrebounded by Canyons 39-35. 

The Cougars return to play Saturday, Nov. 18 with a 1 p.m. tip-off vs. Chaffey College from Lee Smelser Court at the Cougar Cage. That game will be broadcast to fans free of charge 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.