12.19.07 - Cerritos men's basketball came up short in Wednesday's game vs. Compton College, losing, 74-68. Photo Gallery

    With 9:16 left in the second half, the Cerritos College men’s basketball team was trailing Compton College, 58-36 in a South Coast Conference crossover game at The Aviary on Wednesday night. Playing with five guards for the majority of the second half, the Falcons slowly shaved points off their deficit and trailed 71-68 with 18 seconds left after a three-pointer from freshman guard Jeremiah Barnes (Los Altos HS). But the Tartars (6-12) were able to convert their free throws after a missed Cerritos shot and a turnover to post a 74-68 win over Cerritos. The Falcons (7-6) will now host Los Angeles Trade-Tech College in a 7:30 p.m. SCC crossover game on Friday.

    Igniting the comeback was the play of freshman guard Wayne Chapman (Bellflower HS), who scored 10 consecutive Falcon points while the team was trying to fight back in the game. However, each time Cerritos tried to make a move, Compton came right back with a bucket of their own. After some aggressive defense helped them get closer, a jumper by sophomore guard Aaron Thompson (Washington Prep HS) with 1:39 got the team under double digits (67-59) before a free throw and a trey by Chapman got them to within 71-65.

    After going the entire first half without attempting a free throw, the Tartars were awarded 30 in the second half and converted 20. However, it was a series of missed free throws in the final 90 seconds that allowed Cerritos to close the gap, as the Tartars used free flowing substitutions to try and get their best shooters in the game. Utilizing their height for the majority of the game, Compton turned to Demetrius Love, who scored 11 points on the offensive side and blocked six shots on the defensive end. Providing the outside scoring was Acquell Smith, who netted 11 of his 20 points in the first half, while Kevin Buggs added 15 points, with eight of them coming from the charity stripe.

    Thompson led the Falcons with 24 points and 11 rebounds, with Chapman finishing with 16 of his 18 points in the second stanza. Sophomore forward Travele Jones (Inglewood HS) was limited to just four first half points and pulled down five rebounds, while Chapman and sophomore guard Aaron King (Mayfair HS) each dished off three assists.