On the strength of their 59-point win over host Los Angeles Southwest College on Friday night, the Cerritos College women's basketball team remained in second place in the South Coast Conference South Division. The Falcons, who recorded a 100-41 win over the Cougars, will host Los Angeles Harbor College at 7:00 p.m. Friday night in their final game of the first round in divisional play.
From the beginning of the game, Cerritos took control, with their defense forcing 39 turnovers and turned them into 48 points. The one-sided win allowed the bench to get extended minutes and they combined for 49 points, with freshman Sarah Hernandez (St. Paul HS) leading all scorers with 22 points and turned in a double-double with her 10 rebounds.
A close 9-5 start to the game slowly began to build, which was jump started by a three-pointer by sophomore Serena Rendon (Carson HS). The Falcons scored 12 straight points in the first quarter to take a 24-9 lead and entered the second quarter with a 29-13 lead. A 14-1 start to the second quarter continued to build the lead for Cerritos.
Along with Hernandez, who converted 10-of-14 field goals, also added five steals and three assists, three others scored in double-figures. Sophomore Jesenia Rendon (Carson HS), who led the team with a trio of three-pointers, added 18 points on the night, with Serena Rendon and sophomore Jessica Gomez (Legacy HS) each posting 13 points. As a team, the Falcons registered 25 steals, with Gomez (seven), Hernandez (five) and Serena Rendon (five) pacing the team.
Off the bench, freshman Renisha Billups (Warren HS) posted nine points, with freshman Madison Lane (Mayfair HS) accounting for eight points, four rebounds and three steals to go along with a three-pointer. Freshman Jade Johnson (City of Angels HS) blocked five shots on the night and added six points and four rebounds. Cerritos shot 46% from the field, while they out-rebounded the Cougars, 43-37 with 19 of those boards coming on the offensive end.