The first half of their South Coast Conference South Division game against host Compton College was a complete contrast to the game played two nights earlier. The Cerritos College men's basketball team scored 117 points in a big win over El Camino College on Wednesday, but were limited to just 25 points in the first half against the Tartars. However, a 49-point second half helped the Falcons (17-4, 2-0) to a 74-62 win, which is their second divisional game in as many contests. The team will host Los Angeles Southwest College at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday in just the second home game for Cerritos this season.

A Jonathan Guzman (Paramount HS) jump shot with 7:01 left in the first half gave the Falcons their first lead of the game (14-12), while the defense limited Compton (3-15, 0-2) to just four points the rest of the first half to hold a 25-16 advantage. During that stretch, Jason Carter (View Park HS/Santa Monica College) and Keshaun Mack (Long Beach Jordan HS/Antelope Valley College) each scored four points, with freshman Christian Alvis (Whittier Christian HS) draining a three-pointer to give the Falcons their nine-point lead at intermission.

The lead swelled to 42-27, thanks in part to sophomore Demetrius Thomas (Bassick, CT HS/Porterville College), who scored seven of the team's first 17 second half points. His dunk with 10:23 left on the clock gave Cerritos their largest lead of the game (50-33), and he went on to convert 8-of-10 field goals in the second half, which helped account for 19 of his team-high 24 points. The lead hovered around 15 points the rest of the game.

In addition to his 24 points (10-of-15 FG), Thomas also hauled in nine rebounds, with freshman Cody Wilkes (La Mirada HS) finishing with 11 points and four rebounds off the bench. It was the bench play by Cerritos that led them to victory, as they accounted for 43 points and 20 rebounds. Mack contributed nine points, seven rebounds and four assists, with Carter (eight points, seven rebounds) and Guzman (six points, five rebounds) also playing well. Sophomore Malik Smith (Gahr HS) came off the bench and dished out eight assists, while adding four rebounds and three steals for Cerritos.