For the second straight game the Cerritos men’s basketball team went into halftime down on the scoreboard and came out in the second half to finish the game strong with a win.
This time the victim happened to be the LA Trade Tech Beavers, as the Cerritos Falcons sent the already struggling team to 0-14 on the year with a 66-51 win.
Freshman guard Tyler Payne followed up a season-high scoring output of 18 points against Mt. San Antonio on Jan. 8, with an 18-point, six three-pointer performance in the Wednesday, Jan. 13 game.
Payne admits that he is becoming more and more comfortable with the offense and the team as a whole.
“All the guys trust me to make shots because they know I’m in the gym working on it everyday. And I believe in myself […] so I’m never going to be trigger shy,” Payne said.
Head coach Russ May sees the change and is enjoying the transition.
“I think its just confidence. He’s practices really hard…and he’s starting to feel his groove a little bit,” May said.
Aside from Payne, the Falcons didn’t find much luck from beyond the arc. As a team it shot 3-24 from three-point territory.
However, aside from the discouraging statistic freshman guard Brian Nebo said that not much is going to change in terms of the team taking those shots.
“Nope. We gone keep putting them ‘thangs’ up. We’re going to keep shooting because eventually they’re going to drop and we’ll be successful,” Nebo explained.
Nebo only shot 1-for-5 from three but still managed to score 13 points, including eight in the paint.
“With our athleticism we’re going to have to push the break when we get the ball. We’re the most athletic team, I think, in the state,” Nebo said.
Not only Nebo’s aggression but also the team’s aggression as a whole changed after halftime as it did the contest before.
The team managed to turn on the fast break offense something that coach May feels this particular team needs to do.
“We need to transition there’s no doubt. So if we defend and rebound and get in transition I think we do a much better job,” May said.
A little over a week ago Payne said that the team needed to support each other more and be more vocal when sitting on the bench.
Sophomore guard Jay Merriweather is getting more acclimated to coming off the bench and being more of a role player. Something that coach May has seen and is seeing in his constant progression.
“He’s a role player and he chipped in tonight with a couple nice three, some good rebounds and that’s what we need from him. He’s a very smart player and always seems to make the right play,” May said.
Merriweather scored eight points, including two three-pointers and three rebounds in just 14 minutes of play.
Eight points was his second highest since scoring 12 on Nov. 20 against College of the Canyons.
The team will try and not to play from behind in its next game when it travels to Pasadena City Friday, Jan. 15.
But hey, if it isn’t broke don’t fix it right?
