On the strength of their 66-59 win over Ventura College in the 1st Round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs, the Cerritos College men's basketball team has advanced to the next round. The Falcons (21-9), seeded #13 for the post-season, defeated #20-seeded Ventura College (19-10) and will now travel to #4-seeded East Los Angeles College for a 7:00 p.m. game on Saturday.

The two teams met on January 20, with the Huskies (24-3) posting a 93-87 win in overtime. Cerritos won the South Coast Conference South Division championship, while East Los Angeles was the North Division champion.

Facing the Pirates, a team that averages 81 points and made 270 three-pointers on the season, Cerritos limited them to just 7-for-32 shooting from outside the arch. The 59 points was the second lowest output for Ventura this season, with the 58 they scored in a 66-58 Falcon win back in November the least amount.

Looking to maintain an up-tempo style of offense, Cerritos found great success slashing through the Pirates defense and wound up with 24 points in the paint in the first half and 32 for the game. In helping the team to a first half lead, the tandem of sophomores Khalid Washington (Los Alamitos HS/Central Wyoming College) and Jonathan Brown (Fairfax HS) drove to the basket on every occasion and combined for 14 points.

Making the biggest impact was freshman guard Luis Medearis (View Park HS), who recorded 11 first half points and finished with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting with a team-high nine rebounds. He drained a three-pointer in the first half for a 31-24 lead, while his trey with 11:37 remaining in the second half put the team up 11 points (51-40).

Each time the Pirates looked to make a run, Cerritos was able to counter with either a fast break bucket or a key outside shot. It got as close as a six-point Falcon lead (58-52) with 2:47 left after a Jamal Lewis basket. Brown, who finished with 10 points and four rebounds, drained a pair of free throws, with the team converting 8-of-10 in the final 2:33 to secure the win.

Sophomore Kyle Geer (Bassick, CT HS/Cuesta College) finished with nine points and nine rebounds for the Falcons, while Washington finished with eight points. Freshman Brian Nebo (St. John Bosco HS), who was guarded very physically, contributed seven points and three boards. Lewis and Elijah Brown led the Pirates with 18 points, and finished the night shooting just 30% from the field.

Photos by Daryl Peterson