Trailing 38-29 at intermission against visiting Los Angeles Trade-Tech College on Wednesday, the Cerritos College men's basketball team came out and played a more aggressive second half, which led them to a 78-72 victory. The Falcons (7-3), who shot a meager 36% with 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, shot at a blazing 64% in the second half to post the victory. Cerritos will host Citrus College at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Down by as many as 12 points (45-33) in the second half, the Falcons started their comeback on a three-pointer from freshman Blake Brewer (Orange Lutheran HS), which was followed by another three-pointer from sophomore Marcel Hayes (Long Beach Poly HS). By the 12:23 mark, Cerritos had tied the game at 53-53 on a layup by freshman Lucas Smith (Blaine, WA HS). A steal and layup by sophomore Darron Henry (Long Beach Poly HS) on the next possession put the Falcons in front 55-53, which didn't last very long. The Beavers scored the next seven points, until Henry and sophomore Andrew Mata (Schurr HS/Holy Cross, IN College) knocked down consecutive three-pointers to regain the lead at 61-60 with 10:24 remaining.

Cerritos was able to push their lead to nine points (73-64), thanks to a pair of baskets from Henry, as well as Hayes and sophomore Dillon Botts (Mayfair HS). LA Trade-Tech took advantage of a Falcons turnover and missed shot to get back to within 73-70 until Henry converted a three-point play with 3:20 left. The Beavers went 1-for-5 with two turnovers the remainder of the game, as the Falcons closed out the victory.

LA Trade-Tech outshot the Falcons, 81-50, with 33 of their shots coming from three-point range, while making just six. Additionally, the Beavers recorded 21 offensive rebounds, but converted them into only 18 second-chance points.

Henry led Cerritos with 22 points and added five rebounds, five assists and three steals, with sophomore Spencer Ezewiro (Paramount HS/Moberly Area, MO College) finishing with 13 points and five boards. Hayes came off the bench to contribute 11 points in the second half, while Brewer posted seven points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Photos by Daryl Peterson