header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather
Santa Clarita CA
Sunny
Sunny
74°F
 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
June 3
1855 - Ship leaves New York harbor bound for Tunis to acquire animals for the United States Camel Corps [story]
Camel Corps


| Friday, Mar 4, 2022
Photo by Kyle Kawamoto/COC Sports Information

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

No. 7 College of the Canyons entered Thursday night’s game vs. visiting No. 10 Orange Coast College as postseason participants for the 25th time in program history. The Cougars women’s basketball team emerged with the program’s most important victory of the last decade, downing the Pirates 69-60 in dramatic fashion to advance to the next round of the California Community College Athletic Association SoCal Regional Playoffs.

Thursday’s win was the program’s first postseason victory since the 2010-11 season, a year in which head coach Greg Herrick guided the Cougars into the third round of the regional playoffs. The victory also pushed COC to the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Canyons freshman LuLu Salloom, who was named the conference Player of the Year and an All-State First-Team selection earlier in the week, scored 14 points and pulled down nine boards in the second half after exiting the game near the nine-minute mark of the second quarter. Salloom had gone down on a play under the basket and initially had to be helped off the court. At the time Canyons trailed Orange Coast 21-15.

Danni Diaz entered the game to replace Salloom and immediately converted a layup off an offensive rebound.

On the next possession Diaz came away with a defensive rebound and quickly found Justice Walters on a long outlet pass for another quick score and bring the Cougars to within a basket at 21-19. On the other end it was Diaz again, this time credited with a block to complete a nice sequence for the sophomore that gave the Cougars a big spark.

“We knew with (LuLu) out it was going to be a challenge, but that just means you have to work a little harder,” said Diaz. “And that’s what we did, we came together, we played as one and it really worked out.”

With Saloom still on the bench, COC eventually retook the lead at 29-28 on back-to-back jump shots from Natalie Satamian and Monique Febles with 1:35 to go in the second quarter.

Orange Coast eventually took a 31-29 lead into halftime after freshman Annie Trinh’s three-pointer with under :12 to play.

Febles led Canyons with 10 points in the first half and Walters was next with nine.

Canyons returned with its starting five, including Salloom, to begin the third quarter and quickly got back into rhythm.

Salloom’s eight points in the quarter helped COC build a five-point advantage heading into the decisive fourth quarter.

“It was more of a mental thing,” said Salloom about returning to the game. “Once I scored my first basket I was good. I just had to get myself in the right mindset.”

Salloom, who is the 12th Western State Conference, South Player of the Year in program history, finished the game 7-of-13 from the field with 18 points and 12 rebounds, playing in her postseason debut.

Malia Semana waited until the fourth quarter to make her biggest impact, going 8-of-8 from the foul line to help keep the Cougars ahead in the final minutes.

Walters led all scorers with 19 points and had a game-high six assists, with three steals on the defensive end. Febles ended the night with 16 points.

“It just shows how much of a team we are,” said Salloom, about her teammates responded while she was out of the game. “Whenever you lose someone it’s important that (others) step up. They did and played amazing.”

COC was 12-of-13 from the foul line for the game and shot a combined 41.5 percent from the field. Canyons converted on just three shots from behind the arc, all coming off the hand of Walters.

Orange Coast was limited to a 36.1 percent shooting mark. The teams were closely matched off the glass with COC having a slight 42-38 rebounding advantage. The Cougars committed 13 turnovers compared to 15 for the Pirates.

Alexis Legan led the Pirates with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Trinh finished with 16 points and three assists. Savannah Seiler was the other Pirate to finish in double digits at 12 points to go with eight rebounds.

Canyons (20-7) now stands one win away from advancing to the CCCAA State Championship tournament.

“This win mean’s everything,” said Diaz, who joined the program as a redshirt freshman in 2018, competed the following year and then navigated through a cancelled COVID-19 season before retaking the court as a sophomore this season. “Hopefully this is just the beginning.”

“We just have to be focused,” said Salloom about the team’s demeanor heading into the next round. “It’s important to not let one win distract us from what we still want to accomplish.”

Canyons Top Performers

LuLu Salloom — 7-of-13, 18 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Justice Walters — 8-of-16, 19 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals
Monique Febles — 8-of-17, 16 points, 3 rebounds, steal
Malia Semana —10 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Danni Diaz — 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Playoff Schedule

Canyons advanced to the next round of the CCCAA SoCal Regionals and will now travel to No. 2 Irvine Valley College (24-2) on Saturday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Irvine Valley was a 91-42 winner over Cerritos College in its regional playoff game on Thursday.

General admission tickets to all CCCAA postseason games are $12. Students/faculty/staff (with ID) from both schools, seniors over age 60 and children under 12 are $8.

As a reminder to all fans, masks and social distancing protocols will be in place at the IVC gymnasium for Saturday’s game.

In other scheduled playoff games around the region No. 6 East L.A. College travels to No. 3 Moorpark. No. 4 Palomar hosts No. 12 Cypress, and No. 1 Mt. SAC is set to receive No. 9 Long Beach City College.

The winners of Saturday’s respective contests advance to the CCCAA State Championship tournament hosted by West Hills Lemoore College in Lemoore, CA.

The top four remaining teams from both the North/South region will gather in Lemoore, with games set to get underway Thursday, March 10 in the tourney’s round of eight. Action continues with the final four teams squaring off on Saturday, March 12 and the championship game slated for Sunday afternoon.

Full brackets for both regions are available here.

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 or visit COC Athletics here.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


WATCH NOW
LOCAL SPORTS HEADLINES
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
CSUN's David Phillips, Jr. and Brianna Kelpis have been named to the 2023 Academic All-District Men's and Women's Track and Field teams, selected by College Sports Communicators.
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
College of the Canyons standout forward Rebekah Brooks will be transferring to San Diego State University to continue her soccer career at the NCAA Division I level as an Aztec. 
Monday, May 29, 2023
The College of the Canyons women's volleyball program invites girls and boys ages 8-14 to participate in the 2023 COC Volleyball Camp, with registration now open for two sessions beginning in July.
Monday, May 29, 2023
Caleb Pouliot's win in the pole vault was the highlight of the final day of competition for The Master's at the 2023 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Track & Field Outdoor National Championships at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind.
Friday, May 26, 2023
In a thrilling finish, The Master's University's Davis Boggess out-kicked St. Mary's Emad Bashir-Mohammed to win the 10K title at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Track & Field Outdoor Championships in Marion, Ind. on Wednesday, May 24.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1855 - Ship leaves New York harbor bound for Tunis to acquire animals for the United States Camel Corps [story]
Camel Corps
The Santa Clarita Arts Commission will meet on Thursday, June 8 at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 23920 Valencia Blvd. First Floor,  Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
June 8: Arts Commission Meets to Review Master Plan, Public Art
Raising the Curtain Foundation, through their Grand Ovation program, honored Jim Sudik and Paco Vela on Thursday, June 1 by naming the dressing rooms at the Newhall Family Theatre for the Performing Arts after the duo.
Sudik, Vela Honored by Raising the Curtain Foundation
The Santa Clarita Library's annual Summer Reading challenge will kick off on June 12. The event, sponsored by Friends of the Santa Clarita Public Library, will boast the theme "Find Your Voice!"
June 12: Summer Reading Program Kicks Off
Join instructor Katie Pinto at Bouquet Canyon Park on Tuesday, June 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for a fun and interactive Hula Hoop class for adults and seniors.
June 20: Hula Hoop Yoga at Bouquet Canyon Park
The city of Santa Clarita Planning Commission will meet June 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 23920 Valencia Blvd. First Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
June 6: Planning Commission Hearings on Soccer Field, Warehouse
City Cinemas in the Park will screen the film "The Little Rascals" on June 23 at 8:30 p.m. The film will be shown in Newhall Park, 24923 Newhall Ave., Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
June 23: ‘The Little Rascals’ Film at Newhall Park
The city of Santa Clarita is seeking artwork for an upcoming exhibit located in the First Floor Gallery of City Hall. This art exhibition is seeking artwork depicting the theme of "Pop Culture."
Call for Artists for Theme of Pop Culture
By now you have no doubt heard about the waste hauler transition coming to the city of Santa Clarita. Beginning July 1, all residents in our city will begin the process of switching over to Burrtec Waste Industries for their trash service.
Ken Striplin | Let’s Talk Trash!
California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) successfully passed eight bills off the Assembly Floor, bringing her total number of bills now in the Senate to 11. Notably, more than half of her bills received bipartisan support.
Schiavo’s 11 Bills Advance Off Assembly Floor, Head to Senate
In collaboration with the Saugus Unified School District, the city of Santa Clarita is excited to announce playground construction plans for Northbridge Park. The project aims to provide recreational space for Charles Helmers Elementary School students and the surrounding Northbridge community. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
Northbridge Park Playground Enhancements
1945 - Local residents vote 432-2 to approve $300,000 bond measure to build SCV's first high school [story]
Hart High
The Salvation Army Santa Clarita Corps is excited to welcome the community to a free open house on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at their local headquarters at 22935 Lyons Avenue.
June 3: Salvation Army Santa Clarita Corps Open House
California State Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, issued the following statement Thursday regarding the decision by the State Water Resources Control Board to re-notice CEMEX’s application for a water right permit.
Wilk Releases Statement on CEMEX Permit Re-Notice
RICK Engineering Company, a multidisciplinary planning, design and engineering firm serving the western United States, has opened its 11th office in Santa Clarita.
RICK Engineering Takes Expansion to Santa Clarita
Can you believe it's already June? May was a whirlwind of excitement, laughter and a few mischievous moments.
Message from JCI Santa Clarita President Cindy Curtis
The Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center Spotlight Series will feature an eclectic lineup of talented musicians and performers, as well as family-friendly programs as part of its Fall 2023 programming.
PAC Releases 2023 Fall Spotlight Series Lineup
Beginning Saturday, June 3, residents can once again board Santa Clarita Transit’s Summer Beach Bus to travel to Ventura Harbor on Saturdays and Sundays.
Santa Clarita Summer Beach Bus Returns June 3
For 25 years, one of the biggest hurdles standing between Daniel Andrade and a college degree was his math anxiety.
Veteran Earns COC Degree Despite Years of Struggle
Adding a powerful local voice to policies and decisions that directly affect residents, Santa Clarita City Councilwoman Marsha McLean has been tapped for leadership roles with the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments and Southern California Association of Governments.
McLean Tapped for Regional Leadership Roles
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency, in partnership with the Association of California Water Agencies, is proud to announce that the first Edward G. “Jerry” Gladbach Scholarship has been awarded to Elizabeth Peña.
SCV Water Announces Gladbach Scholarship Recipient
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 50 new cases and one new death from COVID-19 in the Santa Clarita Valley within the last week.
Weekly COVID-19 Roundup: Public Health Updates Response Plan
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted Thursday a Progress Pride Flag Raising Ceremony and reception at the California Department of Education to mark the first day of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month.
Pride Flag Flies for First Time at CDE Headquarters
SCVNews.com
%d bloggers like this: