In a game that saw both teams combine for 177 points, the Cerritos College men's basketball team came away with a 94-83 win at The Aviary on Friday. The Falcons (14-8, 7-1) saw ECC Compton Center (7-15, 3-5) take 23 more shots, but a 35-for-46 night at the free throw line was the difference in the win. The team will now travel to Mt. San Antonio on Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m. conference game.

From the outset of the game, the Tartars were determined to push the tempo for the entire game. It took a while for most of the Cerritos team to get into their rhythm. But not freshman guard Micah Winn (Crenshaw HS), who hit his first five shots and had 11 points in the first 6:30 of the game. He failed to score the remainder of the half, but by then, the game was wide open and eight different players had points in the first half for Cerritos, while the Tartars relied heavily on the duo of Ray Foote and Wesly Harris, who scored 29 of the team's 45 first-half points.

The tempo seemed to catch up to Compton, whose shots stopped falling, while the Falcons seemed to relish the chance to play a wide open game. A three-pointer by freshman Jordan Reise (Huntington Beach HS), followed by a bucket from sophomore guard Victor Jones (Lakewood HS) gave the team a 66-57 lead with 12:44 left in the game. The Tartars would get as close as five points several times, but it was the successful free throw shooting by the Falcons that closed out the win. The team netted 23-of-28 in the second half, with Winn (6-for-6) and sophomore Jarion Henry (Kimball, TX HS/Trinity Valley, TX CC), who hit all eight of his offerings, led the way.

Winn and Henry each finished with 19 points in the win, while Jones (15 points, five assists, four rebounds) and sophomore forward TJ Traylor (Dominguez HS), who added 12 points and five blocked shots, also scored in double-figures. Henry had a tremendous all-around game, as he finished with 17 rebounds, six steals and five assists. Before fouling out, Foote led all scorers with 31 points, with Harris adding 22 points.

Photos by Daryl Peterson