Knowing it would take wins over Long Beach City College and East Los Angeles College to help secure second place in the South Coast Conference, and possible a top four seed in the upcoming Southern California Regional Playoffs, the Cerritos College women's basketball team took one step closer with their 70-53 win over LB City at Gahr High School on Saturday. The Falcons maintained at least a one game lead over East LA with the win, as they improved to 10-3 in the SCC and 20-6 on the season. Cerritos will travel to face the Huskies on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. in another important game, with just two more games to follow.

In facing the Vikings (16-6, 8-5), Cerritos broke open a close 40-39 lead with 16:00 left in the second half, as it took Long Beach City 12:40 to score their next field goal, as they relied on only six free throws during that duration. During the time period, the Falcons countered with 18 points to take a commanding 58-45 lead and were ahead by as much as 19 points in the final minute. LBCC went 0-for-10 from the field with nine turnovers during that duration, which is what Cerritos needed to pull away with the win.

Prior to that stretch, the teams traded baskets the entire first half in a fast-paced affair. But the cold spell by the Vikings did them in and sent them to their second loss of the season against the Falcons.

Sophomore forward Andrina Rendon (St. Paul HS) played a critical role in helping the Falcons pull away for the win, as her three-pointer with 14:05 left in the second half put the team up by six points, which was their largest lead of the game at the time. She finished with a game-high 20 points and added eight rebounds, while sophomore forward Dershawna Staves (Bellflower HS) added 13 points and three steals. Freshman guard Marissa Rendon (St. Paul HS) accounted for 10 points, five steals and three assists, with freshman Diamond Roberts (Pioneer HS) coming off the bench to contribute 10 points. The duo of Symphony Logan and Kaaron King (nine rebounds) led the way for LB City with 12 points each.