Reaching the finals of their second straight tournament, the Cerritos College men's basketball team is still searching for their first title. Over the weekend, the Falcons (4-2) defeated both Ventura College (66-58) and College of the Canyons (74-56) to advance to the championships of the Irvine Valley Tournament. Facing the host Lasers, Cerritos came up short, 61-51 on Saturday. The team will take a week off before traveling to Allan Hancock College for a 5:00 p.m. game on December 4.

Cerritos vs. Ventura: The Falcons took their first lead in the second half when sophomore guard Jonathan Brown (Fairfax HS) hit a jumper with 16:20 remaining for a 33-31 lead. He followed with a layup, which helped spark a 12-0 run that gave Cerritos a 40-31 lead, with freshman Dillon Reise (Mayfair HS) draining a three-pointer to cap off the run. The Falcons maintained the lead for the remainder of the game and were led by sophomore Kyle Geer (Bassick, CT HS/Cuesta College), who had 15 points and four rebounds, while Brown and Reise each finished with 14 points and combined for 10 rebounds. Freshman Brian Nebo (St. John Bosco HS) added eight points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Khalid Washington (Los Alamitos HS/Central Wyoming College) provided five points and four boards off the bench.

Cerritos vs. College of the Canyons: It was a 15-0 run that turned a 36-34 first half lead into a 51-34 advantage four minutes into the second half. A trio of players netted three-pointers along the way, while the team was able to maintain their lead for the remainder of the game. Brown (15 points), Reise (10 points, five rebounds) and sophomore Jay Merriweather (Temescal Canyon HS), who provided 12 points off the bench, each connected on a pair of three-pointers in the game. Nebo posted 13 points and five rebounds, while the bench also produced seven points and five rebounds from freshman Elvis Okafor (International School of Lagos, Nigeria HS).

Cerritos vs. Irvine Valley: Every time the Falcons were able to take a slim second half lead in the championship game, the Lasers were able to respond. Merriweather netted a trey for a 41-40 lead with 13 minutes left, but Chris Lott came right back with one of his own on their next possession. It would turn out to be the last lead of the night for Cerritos, who went 2-for-11 with four turnovers the rest of the game after the Merriweather three-pointer. Struggles at the free throw line also hampered the Falcons, as the were only 15-for-31, while Irvine Valley converted 12-of-19. Nebo, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, led the team with 13 points and added six rebounds, with sophomore Jamal Watson (Lakewood HS) coming off the bench to account for seven rebounds. Reise finished with 10 points, with All-Tournament selection Brown contributing nine points.