In their season-opener on Wednesday, the Cerritos College men's basketball team defeated host Santa Monica College, 75-61. The Falcons (1-0) will now enter the Irvine Valley Tournament, where they will take on College of the Canyons at 7:00 p.m. on November 15. They opened the tournament last season with an 84-74 win over the Cougars.
Down, 4-2 early in the game, Cerritos went on a 23-0 run to take a commanding 25-4 advantage. The Falcons connected on 8-of-13 shots during the run, which included a pair of three-pointers from freshman Chance Hunter (Inglewood HS) and sophomore Darryl McMillon, Jr. (View Park Prep HS), along with one from sophomore Cody Wilkes (La Mirada HS). The lead would stay over 20 points the remainder of the first half, as Cerritos shot 54% from the field and converted 7-of-13 three-pointers.
The Corsairs, coached by former Cerritos assistant coach Joshua Thomas, could never get closer than 13 points in the second half. The Falcons used a balanced attack, with three starters scoring in double-figures. Wilkes led the team with 17 points, along with three rebounds, three assists and three steals, while sophomore Jamal Heckard (Carson HS/El Camino College) finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. Hunter totaled 11 points, while sophomore Christian Alvis-Labadie (Whittier Christian HS) accounted for nine points and four assists. Sophomore Dezmon Murphy (La Mirada HS) posted seven points, seven boards and three assists, with the bench combining for 18 points and eight rebounds.
McMillan was 3-for-3 from the field for eight points, while freshman Andre Fields (Warren HS) contributed six points. Freshman Daeyln Bams (Villa Park HS) posted three points and three rebounds from his center position.