Battling back from a 78-69 deficit with 5:10 left in the second half, the Cerritos College men's basketball team saw visiting Santiago Canyon College drain a three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left for an 87-84 non-conference decision on Friday. With the game tied at 84-84, Kai Smith knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key for the game-winning basket. The loss snapped the Falcons (10-5) three-game winning streak, as they prepare to start South Coast Conference play. Cerritos will host Mt. San Antonio College at 5:00 p.m. next Wednesday.

Cerritos came out of the game with a hot shooting hand and opened a 40-20 lead, which included a pair of three-pointers from freshman Christian Bennett (Redondo Union HS) and seven points from sophomore Gorden Boykins (St. Anthony HS). The Hawks (10-4) then went on a 15-0 run, as the Falcons went 0-for-7 from the field and committed four turnovers during that run. Cerritos would take a 46-40 lead into halftime and maintained it until a put-back tip-in by Garrett Andre put Santiago Canyon in front, 64-63.

The Hawks extended their lead to 78-69 before Cerritos worked their way back into the game. Freshman Gary Williams (Dominguez HS) scored the team's next five points, while a steal and driving layup by sophomore Jalen Shores (Lakewood HS) drew the team to within 81-76 with 2:20 remaining. After a pair of free throws from Shores, the Hawks Aaron Wadman missed the front end of a one-and-one, with Boykins pulling down the rebound, driving the distance and scoring on a layup to make it an 83-82 game with 26.9 seconds left.

After getting fouled, Wadman converted one of two free throws with 24.4 seconds left to put Santiago Canyon in front, 84-82. Looking to either tie the game with a bucket or take the lead with a three-pointer, Shores fed Williams on the back door, who slammed the ball home for an 84-84 tie game with 14.8 seconds remaining.

The Hawks, looking for the final shot, found Smith at the top of the key, where he made the ninth three-pointer of the game for Santiago Canyon and an eventual 87-84 final score.

Shores led the Falcons with 18 points, while Boykins produced 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds off the bench. Williams had 12 points, while sophomore Jonathan Salazar (St. John Bosco HS/New Mexico Military Institute CC) finished with 11 points and seven rebounds before coming out of the game with an injury.

Photos by Daryl Peterson