The Cerritos College Men’s Basketball team turned in one of their best all-around performances in a 72-52 victory over rival Long Beach City on Friday propelling them in to the No.1 spot in their division.

The team was led by freshman center Tezarray Banks who swiped 13 to go along with his game-high 18 points and Sophomore forward Malcohm Heron who added 11 points and five rebounds.

The Falcons, winners of four straight games, posted their first five-game winning streak of the season when they defeated the Vikings in one of the toughest arenas in the state to play in.

The key to the team’s success was their rebounding, as the Falcons recorded 49 boards on the night, compared to 37 for the Vikings. All 10 players that saw action recorded at least one rebound.

Cerritos improves to 17-11 overall, and 5-1 in South Coast Conference play. Cerritos’ win coupled with Los Angeles Southwest’s 86-79 loss to Compton, has left Cerritos in sole possession of first place in the South Coast Conference South Division.

The Falcons hold a one-game lead over both L.A. Southwest and Compton. They will face the Tartars this week with only four games remaining in the regular season.

The team returns home this week to host Los Angeles Harbor on Wednesday and Compton on Friday with both games scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The falcons need to stay focused and not over look a harbor team that has lost many close games this season.