Hosting Chaffey College in their season-opener on Saturday afternoon, the Cerritos College men's basketball team dropped a 92-87 decision. The Falcons (0-1) will now enter the Irvine Valley Tournament on Thursday and open with a 7:00 p.m. game against Ventura College.

It was an up-and-down the court game in the first half, with both teams combining for 96 points. After the Panthers opened leads of 7-1 and 16-7, the Falcons stormed back to tie the game at 18-18 after an Andrew Mata (Whittier HS/Holy Cross, IN College) three-pointer. Cerritos made it all the way back and took their first lead of the game at 26-25 on a Dillon Botts (Mayfair HS) jumper. Mata extended the lead to 29-25 when he drained his second three-pointer of the half and then hit another baseline three-pointer with 9:03 left in the first half for a 32-28 Falcons lead.

With the Falcons leading by as many as nine points (39-30), the Panthers scored the final five points of the first half to make it a 51-45 Cerritos lead at intermission.

Tied a 56-56 in the second half, freshman Brian DeMedio (Warren HS) drained a three-pointer with 15:37 left on the clock, but a three-point play knotted the game once again at 63-63. A three-pointer and jumper from Botts, was followed by baskets from sophomore Marcel Hayes (Long Beach Poly HS) and freshman Blake Brewer (Orange Lutheran HS) put Cerritos in front, 72-68.

Every time the Falcons would open up leads of five points, Chaffey came right back to tie the game, until they slowly started to build a lead of their own. In the final five minutes, the Falcons got off only six more shots, while the Panthers were sent to the free throw line six times and converted all of them.

Henry led the team with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Botts and sophomore Spencer Ezewiro (Paramount HS/Moberly Area, MO CC) added 13 points and six boards each. Mata finished with 12 points and four rebounds off the bench, while Hayes (nine points, three steals) and Brewer (seven points, six rebounds) contributed for Cerritos. Uriyah Rojas (28 points) and Nate Simon (20 points) led the Panthers.

Photos by Daryl Peterson