Competing in their first tournament of the season, the Cerritos College women's basketball team won one of their three games at the Riverside City Tournament. They opened with a 78-55 loss to Irvine Valley College and followed that by defeating Rio Hondo, 56-52. In the consolation finals, Cerritos dropped a 65-56 decision to Bakersfield College. The Falcons (1-3) will now travel to Grossmont College on Wednesday for a 5:00 p.m. game.

Cerritos vs. Irvine Valley: In their opening round game, the Falcons fell behind early and after a strong third quarter, trailed 58-41 with 10 minutes remaining. Down 43-15 at intermission, Cerritos came out in the second half and scored six of the first eight points. The deficit was 20 points (49-29) after a Melana Goodloe (Warren HS) basket, but the Falcons couldn't work their way any closer. The Falcons went 3:12 without a point in the fourth quarter, with the Lasers outscoring them, 7-0 during that span.

Freshman Rayne Rodriguez (La Serna HS) finished with a team-high 18 points, while Goodloe added 13 points and six rebounds on the day. Sophomore Damarie Saldivar (Paramount HS) produced 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals, as the starting five scored all but one of the team's points.

 

Cerritos vs. Rio Hondo: Although they shot just 32% from the field, the Falcons were able to out-rebound the Roadrunners, 60-42, which helped them post the win. Holding a slim 43-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter, freshman Jayden Estrada (Anaheim HS) would break a 43-43 tie with a three-pointer, with Rio Hondo coming right back to take a 47-46 advantage. A three-point play from Saldivar with 1:15 gave the Falcons a 52-51 lead, and after the Roadrunners responded by making one of two free throws, the game was tied once again.

On the next Cerritos possession, Estrada was fouled and she converted both free throws with :36 seconds left. Rio Hondo missed consecutive three-pointers, and when Cerritos was fouled with :15 seconds remaining, Saldivar missed both attempts from the free throw line, which gave the Roadrunners another chance to tie the game. Saldivar then was whistled for a foul with seven seconds left and the Roadrunners Serenity Gastelum missed both free throws. The Falcons locked down the win when freshman Francine Carrillo (Cerritos HS) netted both free throws with six seconds left.

 

Goodloe scored 16 points and pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds, while also recording four steals and blocking two shots before fouling out. Saldivar also fouled out and added eight points, six assists and four rebounds, with Estrada (12 points, four rebounds) and Carrillo (11 points, 15 rebounds) helping pace the team. 

 

Cerritos vs. Bakersfield: Down by two points heading into the fourth quarter, the Falcons got a three-pointer from Saldivar, followed by a Goodloe jumper to pull ahead, 47-44 against the Renegades. Cerritos was able to extend their lead to 54-51 with 5:20 remaining after Saldivar converted a pair of free throws. Bakersfield then responded by scoring the game's next 15 points to pull away, as the Falcons went cold the remainder of the game. In the final 5:20, Cerritos was 0-for-14 with a pair of turnovers before Goodloe scored in the final second of the game.

 

Saldivar led the team with 19 points, which included four three-pointers, while Goodloe cleaned up on the boards with a career-high 21 to go with her 10 points. Sophomore Miah Nayback (La Serna HS) came off the bench to add 15 points and eight rebounds, with Estrada finishing with 12 points and three rebounds before fouling out.

 

The 21 rebounds by Goodloe were the most by a Falcon player since Crystal Rodriguez had 21 against Los Angeles Harbor College in 2017.