The Cerritos College women's basketball team saw their season come to a conclusion on Friday night with their 58-48 Southern California Regional Playoff loss to Irvine Valley College. Seeded #14 for the playoffs, the Falcons (18-13) were outscored, 13-4 the final 12:06 of the game and dropped the post-season game to the #3-seeded Lases (26-3).

Freshman Aissha Baldwin (Mayfair HS), who scored 17 of her 19 game-high points in the second half, got the Falcons to within 45-44 with 12:06 left in the second half when she converted a layup. However, for the remainder of the game, Cerritos went 1-for-17 from the field with five turnovers. Irvine Valley didn't fare much better, as they were only 4-for-15 with six turnovers.

Trailing for most of the game, the Falcons took their first lead at 35-34 with 15:52 left in the second half when freshman Clarissa Hernandez (St. Paul HS) netted a three-pointer. But Erika Mercado of IVC came right back and hit a three-pointer for a 37-35 Lasers advantage. Later in the half, Baldwin converted a three-point play for a 38-37 lead. Once again, Irvine Valley came right down the court, and this time it was Karli Kato that drained a three-pointer to retake the lead.

The last lead for Cerritos came at 42-40 on a Baldwin (19 points, six rebounds) layup with 13:31 remaining. In a little over a minute, the lead was gone, as Morgan Bryant scored on a layup, with Conerie Brennan following with a three-pointer. On the night, the Lasers hit eight three-pointers.

Sophomore Selena Romero (Lakewood HS) came off the bench to score 13 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, while Hernandez and sophomore Cassidy Carrillo (St. Paul HS) each contributed six points. Breanna Turner (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Tara Casey (10 points) led the Lasers.

Photos by Daryl Peterson