Turns out, having the backboard broken may have been a good thing for the Cerritos College men’s basketball team. Since that incident at home against Los Angeles Harbor College on January 30, the Falcons have won their last five games, including the conclusion of the suspended game. They culminated their regular season with an impressive 89-76 road win against South Coast Conference South Division champion Los Angeles Southwest College on Friday night. The win pushed the team’s season record to 16-13, while their 5-3 divisional record puts them in a second place tie with El Camino College. The team’s post-season fate will be determined when they select the teams to compete in the Southern California Regional Playoffs on Monday.

    It was definitely a team effort in the win over the Cougars, as four players scored in double figures, while numerous players came up with critical plays throughout the game. Not since the team’s last meeting against LA Southwest, as sophomore guard Aaron Thompson (Washington Prep HS) had a breakthrough performance. By the final whistle, Thompson had scored a game-high 30 points, while he also pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. He hit several key shots on the night, including a three-pointer in the first half that gave the Falcons their first lead, after LA Southwest had come out very aggressively.

    On several occasions, the Falcons led by as many as 14 points, only to see the Cougars storm back. But when the lead dwindled down to 57-55 with 10:42 left in the second half, it was Thompson who scored seven of the team’s next nine points, including a three-pointer with 9:08 remaining to put the lead back to eight points, 66-58.

    Not to be outdone by Thompson, the Falcons also received a great game from sophomore forward Travele Jones (Inglewood HS), who added 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocked shots. He was joined by sophomore guard Aaron King (Mayfair HS), who finished with 15 points and three assists. King hit a three-pointer with 17:20 remaining to give the team an 11-point advantage (49-38), while his attack of the boards helped him add five rebounds.

    Freshman guard Van Girard (Gahr HS) continued his knack of being around the basket at the right time, as he connected on all five of his shots, while freshman guard Wayne Chapman (Bellflower HS) finished with nine points, five rebounds and five assists. Kendrick Harris led the Cougars with 22 points.