Maintaining their up-tempo approach to games, the Cerritos College men's basketball team just missed out on hitting the century mark for the second time in their last three games. The Falcons (18-4, 3-0) won their fourth game in a row, as they dispatched visiting Los Angeles Southwest College, 97-68 in a South Coast Conference South Division game on Wednesday night. They will look to match their longest winning streak of the season on Friday when they travel to Los Angeles Harbor College for a 7:00 p.m. divisional game.

Coming out running, sophomore Keshaun Mack (Long Beach Jordan HS/Antelope Valley College) scored the team's first six points on fast breaks, while consecutive three-pointers from freshman Christian Alvis (Whittier Christian HS) put the team in front, 22-11 with 13:52 left in the first half. After the Cougars pulled to within 22-16, Alvis hit a running jumper, followed by a three-pointer from sophomore Demetrius Thomas (Bassick, CT HS/Porterville College) for a 27-16 advantage.

Midway through the first half, it was a slim 27-20 advantage, but the Falcons went on to outscore LA Southwest (7-13, 1-2), 23-12 the rest of the way for a commanding 50-32 lead at intermission. As a team, Cerritos converted all 11 of their first half free throws, including one on a three-point play from Thomas, which gave the team a 40-24 lead with 4:25 left on the clock. They went on to make their first 17 from the charity stripe and concluded the night going 23-for-25.

With the lead as large as it was, it allowed everyone on the team to receive quality minutes. Thomas produced 21 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes of work, with four of the five starters posting double-digits in scoring. Mack finished with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting with five rebounds, while Alvis produced 15 points and three assists. As for sophomore Jonathan Guzman (Paramount HS), he finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while sophomore Jason Carter (View Park HS/Santa Monica HS) went for 13 points and five rebounds.

Seeing extended minutes off the bench, freshman Cody Wilkes (La Mirada HS) posted seven points and four rebounds, with freshman Austin Freeman (Rancho Dominguez Prep HS) adding seven points and three rebounds in nine minutes of action.

Photos by Daryl Peterson