If you’re into numerology, this game had everything you could ask for. With 13:13 remaining in the second half of the South Coast Conference South Division men’s basketball game between Cerritos College and Los Angeles Harbor College, Antonio Hodges of the Seahawks, who wears #53, dunked the ball so hard, he shattered the backboard with the scored tied at 53-53. The game, which was played at Cerritos, will be completed at that point at a date to be determined by both schools.

    “That’s something you don’t see very often,” said Falcon head coach Gary Cain. “When something like that happens, it takes a few seconds for it to sink in. When we resume this game, we still have to play well because a win here is very important for us.”

    In a game that saw the lead change hands 13 times, and the score tied another five times, the Falcons (11-12 overall, 0-2 South Division) know they have to play the game with their leading scorer stuck on four fouls. Sophomore guard Aaron Thompson (Washington Prep HS) picked up his fourth foul with 15:19 left in the second half and the game tied at 51-51. At the time of his foul, he had scored only five points.

    The Seahawks (3-19, 0-2) were using a collective effort of outside shooting, draining four three pointers from four different players, while nine of the 10 players in uniform scored in the first half.

    The Falcons trailed 26-21 in the first half with 8:39 remaining after Brent Lofton netted a three-pointer. Prior to a 7-0 run by LA Harbor, Cerritos took their first lead of the game after Thompson hit a three-pointer of his own. It was a three-point Falcon lead at halftime (45-42) in a game that saw 30 free throws shot in the first half.

    At the time of the suspension, sophomore forward Travele Jones (Inglewood HS) was leading the team with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Sotero Rivers was pacing LA Harbor with 13 points.

    “I guess it’s just one of those things that was bound to happen sometime,” added Cain. “I’ve never seen a backboard broken in person, but I’m sure it’s something we’ll always remember.”