Head Coach Russ May channeled his inner Aaron Rodgers when he told his team “don’t panic,”

It was not enough to overcome the length of Mt. Sac on this night, falling short 70-59.

“We need to not look down the line and really focus on every step of the way, we need to get our concentration on the moment and not on what might happen down the line,” May admitted with L.A. Trade Tech next on the schedule January 23.

The game was a lot tighter than what the final score entailed. With the Falcons trailing by just three at halftime, and even taking a four-point lead in the second half.

That may not have been expected from a Cerritos’ team that was 8-12 before tip-off playing a team that was 18-1 prior to tip-off.

“It’s been a rough go for us this year especially starting the season with all the injuries and guys that have joined our team because of the injuries,” May conceded.

From the jump ,Mt. SAC put pressure on the ball with a full court press.

While his team was not surprised to see the press, they did not handle it well in the second half.

Ball pressure was the name of the game and eventually led to the down fall of the Falcons. With their first basket coming a little over five minutes into the game.

“They had a good ball pressure team, they deny the wings really hard…some balls were fumbled, it’s a young team guys just need to keep their poise,” Sophomore guard Micah Winn said.

Winn finished with a team-high 19 points.

Cerritos committed 21 turnovers in the game. Sophomore forward Jeff Gonzalez committed seven of those turnovers.

“I didn’t really think they were as tall as they were and I tried to make passes that I would make against any other team,” Gonzalez said.

The battle in the paint was almost non-existent with Cerritos being outscored 34-12 in the key.

In order to offset that stat, May switched to a 2-3 zone to lock down the paint.

Once that move was made Malcolm Whittington from Mt. SAC caught fire scoring 17 of his 21 points in the second half.

One positive that came away from the loss was the defensive pressure the Falcons played on the Mounties. They forced 14 turnovers.

A lot of that pressure in the paint came from freshman Earl Morgan who finished with seven points, four rebounds, and an assist.

“That’s what they ask of me. [Athleticism] and energy,” Morgan said.

“I’m really proud of the way my guys competed tonight,”May acknowledged.

He hopes for the same competitiveness however a different outcome when the team takes the floor on the road against L.A. Trade Tech.