M. Basketball: Cerritos to host 1st Round playoff game

Falcons were seeded #16 for the playoffs

Posted: Feb 25, 2024

SoCal Bracket

After going undefeated in South Coast Conference South Division play, the Cerritos College men's basketball team has been seeded #16 for the Southern California Regional Playoffs. The Falcons (19-9), riding a 12-game winning streak, will host #17-seeded MiraCosta College (19-9) at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The winner will take on #1-seeded Fullerton College (24-4) on Saturday.

Last season, the Falcons defeated the Spartans, 73-60 at the Clete Adelman Tournament and have won the last three meetings. Cerritos holds a 20-5 career record against MiraCosta and are 9-2 at home against them in school history. It will also mark the first time the teams met at The Aviary since 2000 when the Falcons earned a 76-72 win.

Cerritos is led by sophomore Miles Ceballos (Crossroads HS/Ventura College), who was recently named the South Coast Conference South Division Player of the Year, and leads the team in rebounds (5.9) and assists (4.4) per game. He is also one of seven players on the team who average nine or more points a game. He posted a triple-double against El Camino College this season when he scored 14 points, with 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

Sophomore Everett May (Los Alamitos HS) leads the team in scoring with a 10.5 average and has knocked down 53 three-pointers this season, while sophomore Taeo Thomas (Verbum Dei HS) has averaged 10.1 points off the bench this year. Sophomore Cameron McCoy (Taft HS), who had 39 points in the regular season finale against Long Beach City College, is third on the team with a 10.0 scoring average. Also checking in for the Falcons in a very balanced scoring attack are Ceballos (9.9 ppg), Dillon Botts (Mayfair HS) at 9.6 points, with Eric Clark (Cerritos HS) and Darron Henry (Long Beach Poly HS) both average 9.0 points a game.

The Spartans, who came in second place in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, have dropped their last two games heading into the postseason. They are led by Kobe Smith, who leads them with a 17.1 scoring average, while Donavan Freeman (13.9) and Dylan Cabs (11.0) also average in double figures. Kai Burdick, who averages 9.4 points a game, leads them with a 9.1 rebounding average. As a team, they have connected on 220 three-pointers and have five players who have made at least 20 on the season.

Tickets can be purchased at the door and will cost: $12 – General Admission; $8 – college students with ID, faculty with ID, staff with ID, senior citizens 60 and over, children less than 12 years of age.