Glendale Puts Canyons Deeper in Hole, 102-85

College of the Canyons lost its third straight Western State Conference game, 102-85, to Glendale on Saturday, and Cougars guard Kevin Honaker thinks he knows why.

“Slump,” said Honaker, who knows a little about slumps. He is in a major one.

Honaker had been fourth in the conference in scoring with a 16.5 average, but in two games this week, the 5-11 sophomore, whose forte is the three-point shot, scored only 11 points, all against Glendale.

“But we’re also in a slump as a team,” Honaker said. “And it came at a terrible time--the start of conference. We need five guys to come out and play well, especially against teams like Glendale.”

Glendale continues to roll through the young season. The Vaqueros are 2-0 in conference, 17-2 overall, and ranked No. 4 in the state by the JC Athletic Bureau.

The Vaqueros, superior in almost every aspect of Saturday’s game, trailed 12-2 at one point but came back behind the 5-of-6 three-point shooting of Dimitrius Duncan. After Duncan’s third bomb, Glendale led, 24-14. The 5-11 sophomore finished with a team-high 22 points.

Canyons (11-10, 0-3) moved the ball effectively throughout the game but its suspect defense was unable to stop Glendale. The Vaqueros made 37 of 70 shots, Canyons 38 of 82.

“We’re getting the ball down there,” Canyons Coach Lee Smelser said, “but we’re not making the shots. You can’t make those kind of mistakes against Glendale. They’re well coached and they don’t make mistakes. If you do, you’re in trouble.”

Canyons can take solace in the improved play of 6-8 forward Anthony Hines, an all-conference selection last season. He leads the conference in rebounding (13.5 a game) and had a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with a game-high 23 points Saturday. Mitch McMullen scored 12 for the Cougars and teammate Butch Mettinger had 11 points and 8 rebounds.

For Glendale, David Djolakian had 19 points and 8 rebounds, Jesse Ellis had 14 points and Bob Mulcahey had 10 points and 6 rebounds.