Unlike it’s last game against East LA, Cerritos started out strong from the gate and put away LA Harbor 70-50

On Friday, Jan 22. the lead was solidified by the play of sophomore forward Sydney Lopez.

“I was just letting it flow,” Lopez said

She scored all seven of her points in the first quarter.

A big game like this from Lopez is something that can come at anytime according to her head coach Trisha Raniewicz.

“She’s [Lopez] a threat for us. I think she battled on the boards today. I think she had one of the best energy games for anyone,” Raniewicz said.

In addition to the leading 22-11 after the first 10 minutes of play for the Falcons. The number of turnovers in the first quarter was major in comparison to their last contest.

Cerritos committed 10 turnovers in the first quarter against East LA however, it corrected its mistakes and limited its turnovers to three in the first quarter of this matchup.

“We needed to keep moving the ball and make sure we weren’t forcing stuff,” Lopez said.

Sophomore guard Clarissa Hernandez stated after the East LA loss that because of her injured hip she wanted to sit out the game however, she did not feel it was an option.

“I feel like I don’t want to [sit out]. I feel like my position on this team is pretty important so I just want to work through it,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez gave it a try in the win although she was not herself. In 21 minutes of play she accounted for three points and three assists.

This late in the season injuries are no surprise to Raniewicz.

“Maria Castro, this is our trainer, if she tells me a player can’t play then they don’t play. A lot of it is battling through, we have a couple of players limping out there,” Raniewicz said.

Hernandez was picked by the continued aggressiveness of sophomore guard Kennedi Cooper.

“I just have to be mentality tough. I have to tell myself I just have to stay on it and stay focused,” Cooper said.

She finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Assistant coach Jasmine Dixon had to rise from her seat on the bench and yell to Cooper to get back on defense and stop walking, something that Raniewicz has been telling Cooper all season.

“I feel like all of our kids want it. They just get a little discouraged when they [commit] a turnover and they just get really down on themselves,” Dixon said.

Cooper not only hears the coaches but she sees the problem.

“I play through it because I would get frustrated but the coaches tell me every time if they weren’t on me so tough that’s when I should be worried,” Cooper explained.

One bright spot for the Falcons was the fact that the game was put on ice in the second half by sophomore center Crystal Lomax.

She helped lead a bench spark that outscored the Seahawks’ bench 44-4.

Lomax’s numbers have been down this season and was forced to sit out the East LA game due to missing practice.

Nevertheless, Raniewicz was proud of the work Lomax put in while on the floor.

“I told the players after the game when your number is called, you go and do something for your team. You go play hard and you continue to be ready,” Raniewicz said.

“Everybody’s role is different but everybody is valuable,” she added.

Lomax has taken the good with the bad and is looking toward the future while not dwelling on the past.

“I just have to keep encouraging my team and try to keep myself warm on the bench. But my number can be called at [anytime],” Lomax said.

“It hurt me not being out there with my team [during the East LA] game but it just motivated me to come back dominate and be stronger,” she added.