02.29.08 - Genesis Lewis goes for two of her 15 points against Chaffey College Friday night.  Cerritos advances to the Regional Finals next Saturday with the 63-47 victory. More Photos

    Although Chaffey converted just 5-of-23 shots from the field in the first half, they trailed by only seven points (23-16) at intermission. But that deficit reached double figures after sophomore forward Genesis Lewis (Paramount HS) drained a three-pointer on the team’s first possession of the second half. The Falcons didn’t look back the rest of the way and led by as many as 23 points (55-32) with 7:08 remaining after a three-point play by sophomore guard Tiffany Wilson (Mayfair HS).

    It was a swarming defense by Cerritos, coupled with the tough shooting night by Chaffey, that enabled the Falcons to pull away and record the convincing win. Lewis, who scored 11 of her 15 points in the second half, was a force on the offensive boards, as she hauled down seven, which swelled her game-high total to 12. On the night, the Falcons had 23 offensive rebounds, with freshman guard Rachel Butler (Calvary Chapel HS) coming off the bench to add six offensive boards and nine total.

    Cerritos opened up a quick 7-0 lead in the first 1:50 of the game, while Chaffey didn’t record their second basket of the game until 11:23 had expired off the clock. The Falcons also struggled from the field, but did get a scintillating shooting night from freshman guard Arielle McClellan (Paramount HS), who connected on 8-of-12 shots and scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the first half. She ran the floor well and finished fast breaks, as did sophomore forward Maltresa Neely (Downey HS), who concluded with 12 points and seven rebounds.

    Chaffey looked to Keisha Mackall for their scoring, as she led them with 15 points, while Christina Warren added 11 points and seven rebounds. The Panthers relied on the three-point shot for their offense and converted just 3-of-22, while the shot just 27% from the field.