M. Basketball: Cerritos records another big win

File Photo: Jalen Washington posted 16 points for the Falcons
File Photo: Jalen Washington posted 16 points for the Falcons

For the fifth game in a row, the Cerritos College men's basketball team came away with a win, as they defeated visiting Los Angeles Trade-Tech College, 78-49 on Wednesday night. It was also the third game in a row that the Falcons (10-7) have won by double-digits, as they posted the 29-point win over the Beavers (12-8). The team entered the week by cracking the Top 30 in the state, and the #28-ranked Falcons will travel to Pasadena City College (9-10) on Friday for a South Coast Conference crossover game.

Leading from start to finish, Cerritos began to open some space against LATT in the first half. A pair of free throws from freshman Dorian Harris (Cerritos HS) gave the team a 25-13 lead, while the advantage became 15 points (31-16) when freshman Cerroy Chenault (Warren HS) netted both of his free throws. The Falcons did spend more time at the free throw line, as they converted 12-of-14 in the first half and appeared at the line 26 more times in the second half and made good on 18 of them.

After the first 20 minutes, it was a 35-20 Falcon lead, without a player scoring in double-figures. Facing one of the top scoring players in the state, Mark Chin, the defense limited him to just 12 points on a meager 4-of-17 shooting from the field, while he also committed seven turnovers.

Taking advantage of the free throw line was sophomore Jacob Washington (Washington Prep HS/Los Angeles Harbor College), who converted all 10 of his attempts, which allowed him to lead the team with 16 points. Cerritos continued to add to their lead from the free throw line, while they also shot 48% from the field in the second half. 

No starter played more than 24 minutes, which allowed the bench to contribute 32 points and 21 rebounds, while being led by Harris, who scored 12 points and added six rebounds. Sophomore Daelyn Bams (Villa Park HS) posted seven points, five rebounds and a pair of blocked shots, while Chenault added seven points.

Freshman Jaishon Forte (Rancho Verde HS) posted 11 points, included a thunderous dunk in the first half that seemed to change the atmosphere of the game with the Beavers unable to regroup. Sophomore Jacob Washington (Bishop Montgomery HS) added eight points and led the team with nine rebounds in the win, with sophomore Jeremiah Galang (Narbonne HS) accounting for seven points.