With 12:12 left in the second half, the Cerritos College women's basketball team was trailing host Los Angeles Harbor College, 35-22 in their South Coast Conference finale. They were facing a team with only one win all season, and the Falcons were looking for another win to help solidify their post-season hopes. The team then went on a 25-4 run and went on to defeat the Seahawks, 50-41. Cerritos (16-11, 9-4) finished second in the South Coast Conference South Division and fourth overall in the conference. They will find out on Monday their playoff situation, with the first round scheduled for February 26.

The rally started with sophomore Alii Salone (Gahr HS) hitting a jumper, followed by a three-pointer and then another basket for seven straight points. After LA Harbor scored, freshman Michelle Navarro (Warren HS) netted a three-pointer, followed by a trey from freshman Selena Romero (Lakewood HS) to get to within 39-37. Cerritos then took the lead on another three-pointer from Romero, while freshman Cassidy Carrillo (St. Paul HS) hit a pair of three-pointers to put the team up by seven points with 3:03 remaining.

Playing the majority of the game without the services of sophomore Nia Lateju (Norwalk HS), who was injured six minutes into the game, the Falcons used defensive adjustments to turn things around in the second half after trailing the entire game. Sophomore Dijonnae Murphy (Santa Fe HS) played a season-high 34 minutes and pulled down eight rebounds, while playing lockdown defense against LA Harbor's top scorers. Murphy also added eight points in the win.

After converting only 1-of-12 three-pointers in the first half, Cerritos turned around and connected on 6-of-13 from three-point range, with five of them coming in a row during their comeback. Romero led the team with 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots, with Salone finishing with nine points. Carrillo scored all eight of her points in a span of 1:05, with sophomore guard Priscilla Valdovinos (Fremont HS) chipping in with six rebounds, three assists and three steals, while sophomore Tache' King (Gahr HS) had five rebounds and four assists.

Photos by Daryl Peterson