Propelled by a season-high 16 three-pointers, the Cerritos College men's basketball team recorded an 87-65 South Coast Conference crossover win over visiting Rio Hondo College on Friday. Winners of four games in a row by an average of 18.3 points, the Falcons (9-7) will host Los Angeles Trade-Tech College in a 7:00 p.m. crossover game next Wednesday.
Although Cerritos saw seven of their first nine baskets come from long range, the Roadrunners (3-12) were able to stay within contention, thanks in part to their outside shooting. Netting six first-half three-pointers allowed Rio Hondo to trail just 41-36 at halftime.
But in the second half, the Falcons started to pull away and led by 13 points (55-42) after sophomore center Daelyn Bams (Villa Park HS) hit a short jumper with 13:48 left in the second half. Once the lead got to 15 points (66-51), Cerritos outscored the Roadrunners, 22-14 the rest of the way. Sophomore Jeremiah Galang (Narbonne HS), who led the team with five three-pointers, drained four of them in the first half, with eight different players scoring three points at a time.
With each Rio Hondo missed shot or turnover, the Falcons were able to fast break their way downcourt to extend their lead. Freshman Jahlen Jack (Centennial, GA HS) finished off a fast break with a layup to give the team a 19-point advantage (70-51), with freshman Joshua Belvin (St. Anthony HS) scoring five straight points to make it an 82-61 game in the final minutes. Jack, who had seven points, added a late jumper, with freshman Christian James (Oak Park & River Forest, IL HS) coming on in the final minute and netted a three-pointer for good measure.
Freshman Jaishon Forte (Rancho Verde HS), who scored 12 of his game-high 19 points in the first half, was 4-for-4 from three-point range and added six rebounds. To go along with his 17 points, Galang pulled down five rebounds and dished out three assists, while freshman Dorian Harris (Cerritos HS) added 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Belvin and sophomore Jalen Washington (Bishop Montgomery HS) combined to hand out 13 assists and pull down 10 rebounds, with freshman Cerroy Chenault (Warren HS) posting seven points and four rebounds in the win.
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