Hosting their second South Coast Conference South Division game of the week, the Cerritos College women's basketball team posted their second win by over 20 points. The Falcons (7-12, 2-0) defeated Los Angeles Harbor College, 57-36 on Friday and will now play their next five games on the road. They will travel to El Camino College next Wednesday for a 5:00 p.m. divisional game.

It took a little over 10 minutes for Cerritos to get things going, as they trailed the Seahawks (0-17, 0-1) by four points after the first quarter. However, they limited LA Harbor to just two second quarter points and took a 29-18 lead into halftime. LA Harbor was led by Nyah Belton, who scored 15 of their 16 first quarter points, but was held off the scoresheet in the second quarter.

After a trio of baskets by Belton to start the second half for LA Harbor, the Falcons responded with a three-pointer from freshman Natalie Poppin (La Habra HS), followed by a layup from Lauryn Nakamura (Cypress HS), which prompted a Seahawks timeout. Cerritos scored the final four points of the third quarter to take a 42-28 lead into the final quarter.

Another layup from Nakamura, followed by a three-pointer from freshman Mia Avalos (Pioneer HS) helped Cerritos open a 47-31 lead with 8:17 remaining. Sophomore Jayden Estrada (Anaheim HS) hit the next two jumpers for the Falcons, with Poppin draining another three-pointer to extend the lead to 21 points at 55-34.

By the final whistle, Poppin had four three-pointers and a team-high 16 points, while Nakamura came off the bench to contribute 12 points, eight assists, six rebounds and six steals. Sophomore Francine Carrillo (Cerritos HS) pulled down 14 rebounds to go with her eight points, with Estrada (nine points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals) and Avalos (eight points, five assists, four rebounds, three steals) also turning in fine games.

Photos by Daryl Peterson