Most observers thought that the Cerritos College men’s basketball team would extend their season-long 10-game winning streak to 11 before the start of their South Coast Conference South Division game against Los Angeles Harbor. The Seahawks came into the game with a 5-13 mark and had an entirely new team, including head coach Tony Carter-Loza and assistant Todd Malecki, both former Falcon assistants. Well, the Seahawks flew through The Aviary and came away with a surprising 55-52 win that not only ended Cerritos’ winning streak, but forced them into a must-win situation against Compton two days later.

Cerritos, who lost a one-point decision to the Tartars in the Modesto Tournament, turned in one of their best games of the season. They out-rebounded Compton, 46-29, which led them to their 73-58 win. The victory improved the team’s record to 17-6, while they are 1-1 in divisional play. This week, the Falcons will host El Camino on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. before they face defending state champion Los Angeles Southwest on the road on Friday.

Against the Tartars, the Falcons played the most intense game they have all season, as they fed off the energy of the coaching staff. Head coach Gary Cain, along with assistants Tito Ortiz and Roland Preciado, did not allow the team to get lazy, as they fed them encouragement the entire game. The team seemed to respond very well and played a tight man-to-man coverage for most of the game. Their tenacious defense led to the Tartars shooting just 40% from the field, while the committed 19 turnovers.

Offensively, the Falcons were led by sophomore guard/forward James Perkins (Gahr), who netted 11-of-18 shots and finished with a game-high 22 points and six rebounds. One of the keys to the win was the play of sophomore center Antoine Smith (Gahr), who hauled down 17 boards off the bench, while also adding eight points and four steals.

Sophomore center Dwight Blair (Dominguez), who has been a rebounding monster lately, added 10 rebounds to go with his seven points, while freshman guard Geovanny Aispuro (Long Beach Jordan) netted 6-of-10 shots to conclude with 14 points, with five assists, three rebounds and two steals. Also coming off the bench to add a spark was sophomore guard DaJuan Wilson (Inglewood / Ventura JC), who finished with eight points and three rebounds, while sophomore guard Curtis Williams (Warren) finished with seven points.

Cerritos led by five (36-31) at the half, and were able to pull away midway through the second half. The same could not be said of their game against LA Harbor. Granted, the Falcons led by five at halftime (31-26), but struggled in the second half, while the Seahawks flourished.

Leading by as many as 10 points in the second half, the Falcons slowly saw their lead dwindle down to a deficit after LA Harbor’s Deon Woolen made one of two free throws to give them a 49-48 lead with 1:49 left. The last lead for Cerritos was a 52-51 edge with 31 seconds left after Williams scored on a put-back. However, it would turn out to be the final points on the night for the Falcons. With 16.9 seconds left, Perkins was fouled, but missed the front end of a one-and-one. The Seahawks then scored their game-winning points when Perkins was called for goaltending with 9.1 seconds remaining. Cerritos had one final shot to take the lead, but Aispuro dribbled the ball off his foot and out of bounds with 4.4 seconds left. LA Harbor scored an insurance basket to secure the upset win.

Williams led the team with 17 points, while Perkins (13 points, eight rebounds) and Blair (10 points, 12 rebounds) also played well. The loss snapped a 16-game winning streak against the Seahawks.