After a slow start to their South Coast Conference crossover game against visiting Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, the Cerritos College men's basketball team let out all the stops and pulled away for an 89-58 win. The Falcons will look to build on that win when they travel to Pasadena City College on Friday for a 7:00 p.m. make-up game. The contest was originally scheduled for January 8, but had to be rescheduled due to the wildfires that ravaged through the Pasadena area.

The Roadrunners (1-17) battled for the first 12 minutes and led, 22-19. But Cerritos (10-7) started to build a lead, as they outscored Rio Hondo, 12-4, thanks in part to six straight points from sophomore Marcel Hayes (Long Beach Poly HS) off the bench. They kept Rio Hondo off the scoreboard for the final 3:20 of the first half and scored the final nine points of the half, with sophomores Andrew Mata (Schurr HS/Holy Cross, IN College) and Jordun Willard (Paramount HS) both draining three-pointers.

Continuing their fast tempo to wear down the Roadrunners, who had just six players in uniform, Cerritos opened their lead to 54-30 through the first five minutes of the second half. Although they missed five of their first six shots of the second half, the Falcons went on to make six of their next eight shots to enable them to open the sizable advantage. Sophomore Blake Brewer (Orange Lutheran HS) accounted for six of those points, with Mata hitting a deep three-pointer during the run.

By the end of the game, the entire roster saw action, with 11 different players scoring and three off the bench producing double-digits. Hayes, who made 7-of-11 shots, led the team with 15 points in 18 minutes and pulled down seven rebounds, while freshman Jaysen Owens (Narbonne HS) slammed home a trio of dunks on his way to 13 points and three rebounds in 11 minutes. Willard finished with 10 points, while the starting lineup saw Mata score all 12 of his points three points at a time, with Brewer (10 points, eight rebounds) and sophomore Darron Henry (Long Beach Poly HS) contributing 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Spencer Ezewiro (Paramount HS/Moberly Area, MO CC) also accounted for nine points and six rebounds.

Photos by Daryl Peterson