COLLEGE BASKETBALL: UNITY DEFINES COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS BASKETBALL TEAM.Byline: IVAN OROZCO Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, -- When asked to describe why the College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. men's basketball team has won seven straight games, Cougars' forward Everett Bryson needed one word. ``Unity,'' Bryson said. The Cougars (21-5, 7-0) have not lost a game since falling to Antelope Valley College Antelope Valley College is a comprehensive community college located in Lancaster, California, USA. It is operated by the Antelope Valley Community College District, with a primary service area of 1,945 square miles covering portions of Los Angeles and Kern counties. Dec. 29 in the Cougars Holiday Classic tournament and team chemistry has played the largest role in COC's latest success. ``Our attitude changed and we began to really play like a team right before the Bakersfield game,'' Bryson said. ``We stepped up the intensity as a whole. We don't have just one standout player. When we start rolling like that, it's hard for teams to beat us.'' The Cougars' intensity that built up before beating Bakersfield College BC was founded in 1913 and initially housed on the campus of Bakersfield High School (then Kern County Union High School) before moving in 1956 to its current location "on the hill" in northeast Bakersfield. Jan. 20, the top-ranked team in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, at the time, hasn't eased. Bryson, who was benched by coach Howard Fisher for a Cougars' win against Glendale College for an altercation in a win against L.A. Valley College, said his teammates continued the same level of intensity without him. ``That just goes to prove this is a team that can play under any circumstances,'' Bryson said. ``Our backups are good. We have two potential starting lineups.'' The Cougars are second in the Western State South Division Conference in scoring averaging 78 points per game, only behind Bakersfield's 99.4. But beating its last conference foes has not come easily. COC See chip on chip. beat a last place Glendale team 72-66, beat Bakersfield by four points, and just got past Santa Monica College Santa Monica College was first opened in 1929 as Santa Monica Junior College. Current enrollment is 32,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. The college also has one of the largest international student populations of any community college in the US, with approximately by two. Its only decisive win came against L.A. Valley College in a 92-57 rout. But the offense is not to take all the credit. Part of the team's success comes from its defense. The Cougars are the third-best team in terms of points allowed per game with a 70.1 average. ``We've adapted to our style of play, keeping the ball moving from full-court press full-court press n. 1. Basketball An aggressive defensive strategy in which one or two players harass the ball handler in the backcourt while the rest of the team maintains a close man-to-man or zone defense. 2. defenses,'' Fisher said. ``I think it's always good as a coach to see a team grow as a unit the way we've started to do.'' The Cougars will try to extend their win streak and keep their intensity level steady as it hosts Citrus College According to the Public Policy Institute of California, Citrus College had 632 students who transferred to universities during the 2005-2006 academic year, ranking seventh in the area. Citrus College students are represented by ASCC the Associated Students of Citrus College. 5:30 tonight. COC beat Citrus 78-70 in the teams' first meeting, the Cougars' second conference game of the season. ``We're just trying to execute on both ends of the court,'' Fisher said. ``We will take one game at a time.'' The Cougars will have four conference games remaining after tonight before preparing for the regional playoffs. COC is one game ahead of Bakersfield (26-2, 7-1) in the conference standings, while Citrus is in third with a 4-4 conference record and a 17-11 overall record. ivan.orozco(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: College of the Canyons forward Everett Bryson said the team's attitude changed before the game against Bakersfield College. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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