Upstart Canyons Keeps Moorpark in Its Sights : Cougars Stay Alive in Conference Race, Upset Glendale, 92-64

Center Mitch Mullen scored 26 points and had 18 rebounds and teammate Anthony Hines had 16 points and 19 rebounds as College of the Canyons upset 16th-ranked Glendale, 92-64, Saturday night.

The win kept Canyons’ slim playoff hopes alive. The Cougars (16-14, 5-7) must win their last game against Santa Monica if they hope to receive an at-large berth to the state tournament.

If Canyons wins and Moorpark loses to Bakersfield, the teams will tie for second place in the Western State Conference at 6-7. Moorpark would qualify for the tournament as the second-place team, though, because it has beaten Canyons twice this season.

Meanwhile, the Vaqueros (21-7, 6-5) are hanging onto first place in the conference’s Southern Division.

Canyons, which had lost by more than 13 points to Glendale both times the teams met, took a 49-40 halftime lead and at one point led by as many as 12 points.

However, the Vaqueros came back in the second half behind the shooting of Demetrius Duncan, who made three baskets from three-point territory during a 12-2 run in the opening minutes of the second half. The spurt cut Canyons’ lead to 57-54.

“He didn’t try any three pointers in the first half, but you knew he was going to shoot some,” Cougar Coach Lee Smelser said of Duncan.

That was as close as the Vaqueros got before David Djolakian hit a pair of free throws to trim the lead to 65-61 with 11 minutes to play. Djolakian scored 20 points to lead all Glendale scorers.

Glendale only scored once more on a basket by Eldridge Hodge with seven minutes left.

Glendale tried to rally with a flurry of three-pointers but was cold from that range.