Looking for their second tournament championship of the season, the Cerritos College men's basketball team posted three wins to accomplish the feat over the weekend. The Falcons (9-2) posted wins over Oxnard College (89-65), Santa Barbara City College (65-60) and Los Angeles Valley (81-60) in the finals to win the SBCC/ECC Holiday Tournament. Cerritos will now play just their second home game of the season on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. when they host East Los Angeles College.

Cerritos vs. Oxnard: In facing the Condors, the Falcons jumped out to a quick 12-0 lead, which included three-pointers from freshman DJ Holt (St. John Bosco HS) and sophomore David Mack (St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy/Northern Illinois University). Four consecutive baskets from sophomore Dorian Tate (St. Paul HS/Rio Hondo College), which included a three-point play, opened the lead up to 21-3 a little over five minutes into the game. Cerritos took a 43-32 lead into intermission and then opened the second half with five straight points, which included a three-pointer from sophomore Kamaury Washington (Long Beach Millikan HS/Santa Ana College). The Falcons would maintain that lead the rest of the game, as Oxnard was never able to get back into the contest after the fast start by Cerritos.

Tate led the team with 17 points and added six rebounds, while sophomore Jaysen Owens (Narbonne HS) came off the bench to contribute 14 points, while Washington finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Blake Brewer (Orange Lutheran HS) posted 10 points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench, with the trio of Mack (four rebounds), Holt and sophomore Isaac Sowell (Dominguez HS/Cal Poly Humboldt), who pulled recorded a team-high nine rebounds and seven assists, all scoring eight points.

 

Cerritos vs. Santa Barbara City: With the teams trading the lead for the majority of the second half, the Falcons were able to convert their free throws down the stretch to pull out the win, 67-60. Down 58-57, Tate dropped a three-pointer with 2:56 remaining to put the team in front, 60-58. Tate stole the ball on the next Vaquero possession and slammed home two more points for a 62-58 advantage. With the game at 62-60 with 1:49 remaining, Tate was fouled and converted one of two free throws. And when Santa Barbara missed their next shot, Sowell pulled down the rebound. Looking to add to their lead, the Falcons turned the ball over, but the Vaqueros were unable to knock down their next shot. Washington stepped up and hit both his free throws after getting fouled, as did Sowell, to provide the final score. In the last two minutes of the game, Santa Barbara City was 0-for-4 from the field.

Tate led all scorers with 19 points, while Sowell had eight points, 13 rebounds and five assists in a solid all-around game. Washington, who converted all five of his free throws on the night, added 13 points, four rebounds and seven assists, with Holt posting seven points and three rebounds off the bench.

Cerritos vs. Los Angeles Valley: A 7-0 start to the game set the Falcons on their way to the championship, with freshman Elijah Gelin (Winward HS) providing a three-pointer along the way. The Monarchs were able to close to within three points in the first half, but Cerritos had a response every time. They took a 41-31 lead into halftime and after a pair of Tate free throws with 13:41 left on the clock, the lead was 13 points at 54-41. Mack knocked down a three-pointer to make it a 14-point advantage (57-43), while Washington followed with a three-point play for a 60-45 lead. The biggest lead of the game was 21 points after freshman Outman Wawa Dahab (St. John Bosco HS) hit a short jumper with 5:06 remaining, and after freshman Dylan Davis (Inglewood College Prep HS) hit a pair of three-pointers, the lead swelled to it's largest of the night at 81-56 with 2:49 left.

Four of the five starters scored in double-figures for the Falcons, and were led by Washington with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. Mack posted 13 points, with the duo of Sowell (10 rebounds, five assists) and Gelin each scoring 12 points. Tate finished with nine points and nine rebounds, while Davis led the bench contributions with seven points.

Sowell was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Tate was selected to the All-Tournament team.