In their last non-conference tournament of the year, the Cerritos College women's basketball team reached the championships of the Fullerton Tournament, but came up short in the finals. The Falcons (7-7) opened with a 64-46 win over Contra Costa College and followed that with a 58-47 victory over Palomar College. In the championship game, the team dropped their second game of the season against South Coast Conference opponent, Mt. San Antonio College, as they fell, 74-57. The team will now resume conference play on January 4 with a 6:00 p.m. game at El Camino College.

Cerritos 64, Contra Costa 46: The Falcons never trailed against the Comets, with freshman Alii Salone (Gahr HS) converting a three-point play with 9:07 left in the first half to put the team up, 21-8, which swelled to a 20-point lead in the second half. Sophomore Deenesha Bee (Pioneer HS) led the way with 14 points, while sophomore Angela Pena (Huntington Park College Ready Academy HS) finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Salone recorded five points and seven rebounds off the bench, with freshman Samira Fields (Long Beach Wilson HS) adding nine bench points.

Cerritos 58, Palomar 47:  The game was tied six times, with the latest being at 37 with 8:53 remaining in the second half. But a 15-7 run over the next 5:46 put Cerritos up for good, as freshman Nia Lateju (Norwalk HS) draining a pair of three-pointers to help the Falcons pull away. Lateju led the team with 15 points and added seven rebounds, while Pena concluded with 14 points and four steals. Although she struggled from the field (4-for-19), sophomore Marissa Rendon (St. Paul HS) added nine points, along with three assists and three steals, with Bee posting six points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Diamond Roberts (Mayfair HS) pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out four assists in the win.

Mt. San Antonio 74, Cerritos 57: In the tournament finals, Cerritos trailed 36-24 after leading 16-14 in the first half. But in the second half, the Falcons were never able to threaten to take the lead, as they lost their second game of the year against the state's top-ranked team. Pena, who was named to the All-Tournament team, netted 8-of-15 shots on her way to a season-high 20 points in the loss. Bee, who also earned All-Tournament recognition, finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Roberts added eight points and four caroms.

Photo by Daryl Peterson