It took a few minutes for the Cerritos College men's basketball team to get their motors warmed up, but when they did, they went full throttle against visiting Pasadena City College (0-9) on Friday night. The Falcons (5-3) turned an early 16-16 game into a 50-23 lead at halftime and cruised to an 88-57 South Coast Conference crossover win. The team will take part in the Riverside Classic starting next Wednesday, with their first game slated for 3:00 p.m. against Mt. San Jacinto College.

Part of the team's offensive output came from three-point range, as they drained 11-of-37 with freshman Garrett Bell (Sonora HS) accounting for five of them, as he scored a game-high 18 points. Bell, the son of former Cerritos player Chad Bell, hit three of his treys during a 12-point first half.

The Falcons trailed 11-7 through the first six minutes of the game, but then forced several turnovers and started hitting their shots. It was 16-16 when Cerritos went on a 23-2 run, which opened a 21-point lead that would swell to over 30 points at one point in the game. During that run, Cerritos went 7-for-10 from the field, with four of those baskets from three-point range.

With sophomore starters Juice Belvin (St. Anthony HS) and Andre Fields (Warren HS) not in the lineup, it gave opportunities for other players to earn more minutes. Freshman Jackson Barnhill (Long Beach Wilson HS) stepped into the starting lineup and produced 12 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 6:09 left in the game. 

Bell, who came off the bench to score his points, also had five rebounds and four assists, while the bench also received 14 points from freshman Xavier Williams (Culver City HS), including a trio of three-pointers. Freshman Jalen Shores (Lakewood HS) also had 12 points, five steals, four rebounds and three steals, as Cerritos received 52 points and 22 rebounds off the bench. Sophomore Jaishon Forte (Rancho Verde HS) and freshman Eric Clark (Los Alamitos HS) both had four points and six caroms in the win.

Photos by Daryl Peterson