When playing against the top-rated team in the state, the last thing you want to do is find yourself behind early in the game. That’s exactly what happened to the Cerritos College women’s basketball team on Friday when they hosted Orange Coast College. The Falcons saw their season record drop to 7-4 after the Pirates (11-1) posted a 76-61 win after jumping out to a 17-point halftime lead. The team will now compete in the Orange Coast Classic and face Chaffey College in the first round on Friday.

    Leading by double digits within the first four minutes of the game, the Pirates crashed the offensive boards, which enabled them to get second and third chances against a smaller Cerritos team. In addition, Orange Coast used the three-point shot to help them out to their lead, and drained 12 on the night.

    Using the scoring of sophomores Tiffany Wilson (Mayfair HS) and Maltresa Neely (Paramount HS), the Falcons slowly chipped away at the Pirate lead and got to within 11 points on two occasions in the second half. But that was as close as Cerritos could get, with Wilson leading the team with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Neely finished with 19 points and a team-high nine boards.

    Both sophomore Genesis Lewis (Paramount HS) and freshman Mercedes Taylor (Gahr HS) each added seven rebounds, while they combined to add 13 points, with freshman Dominique Washington (Long Beach Jordan HS) coming off the bench to contribute six points.