Off to a 5-1 record the Cerritos College men’s basketball team won its first tournament since 2013, after winning the Irvine Valley Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 19.

Now that the first tournament has been scratched off the list, the Falcons can finally stop for a second and take a look at their handy work.

Sophomore guard Tyler Payne said, “It felt great being able to compete and bring some hardware home with the guys. We’ve worked hard and to see it pay off is a great feeling.”

Head coach Russ May called the tournament win a “boost of confidence” for the team.

Fellow sophomore Brian Nebo felt the game was a big moment but the team must move on from it quickly.

“It felt good, but it wasn’t anything to keep thinking about. Once the game was done and we enjoyed [the first] 30 minutes of winning the championship, it was all business and getting ready for our next opponent,” he said.

The team will have its first home game Saturday, Nov. 26 against San Bernardino before not playing again until Dec. 2 at the Mt. San Antonio Tournament.

The Irvine Valley Tournament was held from Thursday-Saturday, one thing was rather noticeable for the Falcons’ offense.

The offense’s three-point shooting was down. The Falcons attempted 85 three-pointers during the Miramar Tournament. The team made 30 three-pointers, good for 35 percent to start the year.

Payne said, “Honestly, I haven’t paid it any mind. I feel like we’re doing the right things offensively and getting the looks we want so that’s my focus.”

In the second tournament of the year, Cerritos attempted 58 three-pointers and made 17 of them; which dropped their three-point percentage to 29 percent.

Nebo doesn’t seem too worried.

“We are fine. Our three-pointers will fall, that’s nothing we are worried about,” he said.

Contrary to some beliefs, May understood right after the Miramar Tournament that high volume of three-point attempts would drop.

“I think we are taking good shots right now, even though the numbers might show otherwise. But some of our better shooters have yet to get going and it is encouraging that we are still winning despite not shooting great,” May said.

Last season may have been just the tip of the iceberg for the young Falcons as this season it looks as if any player can lead the team on any given night.

Payne noted that the team is versatile and doesn’t mind sharing the ball.

In the first six games of the year, Cerritos has had four different leading scorers. The leading scorers have been sophomores Nebo and Cristian Perez and freshman Jonathan Guzman and Dezmon Murphy.

“It makes it [easier] on the court because everyone we have on the roster can go off any night, you just never know.

“That’s what is so scary about the team we have this year, we are all important and mean a lot to this team. Nobody is above anyone on this team. We are all valuable,” Nebo said.

Currently, the Falcons have five players averaging at least 8.7 points per game.

“We have 12 players that I believe in and are capable of having a big night and this makes our team solid, knowing that our bench is very good,” May said.

However, Payne is not one of them, as he only averages 5.7 points per game. He is also shooting 30 percent from the floor and from three-point territory.

Nebo has no worries about his backcourt teammate.

“He is going to be just fine and actually he’s not struggling. He’s been playing well and keeping our offense in order like a real point guard is supposed to,” he said.

May also noted that Payne has been dealing with some nagging injuries over the course of the early season, but his leadership has been vital to this team.

Aside from his scoring output, Payne averages 5.3 assists per game and 4.3 rebounds per game to go along with 1.2 steals per game.

Payne himself wouldn’t call the early stretch a struggle but rather a learning process.

“I wouldn’t call it struggling I’d say I have been a little too unselfish and need to be more aggressive. I’m not worried, I continue to get in the gym daily so I know shots will fall,” he said.