A hard-fought women’s basketball game between the Cerritos Falcons and the LA Pierce Brahmas went into overtime on Dec. 6 where the visiting team took the victory and left the Falcons stifled.

From the start, it seemed like this was going to be a long game as the Falcons had lost 4 straight going into this game while LA Pierce was a hot team with an 8-2 record.

It was a tough start as Cerritos kept missing multiple layups and opportunities to score and it wasn’t until the five-minute marker that they finally took advantage of those opportunities.

They had defense was average at best but their ball handling was careless all of the first quarter and they entered the second quarter losing 9-18.

All of a sudden something switched and now it was Cerritos who was scoring while the Brahmas weren’t doing much.

The Falcons would go on a 11-2 run to start the second quarter bringing them back into this game.

The Falcons tied the game 20-20 with six minutes left and ended up taking the lead with a massive 3-pointer by sophomore, Damarie Saldivar.

Saldivar had a fire lit up under her as she scored 12 points in this second quarter which was massive, giving the Falcons the boost they desperately needed.

“Honestly just like seeing my teammates, I wanna help motivate them and work together as a unit. I wanna be the uplifter and just you know pick it up for them,” said Saldivar.

The Falcons went into halftime on a 19-7 run taking the lead 28-25.

A couple more 3-pointers from a pair of freshman players, Jayden Estrada and Rayne Rodriguez, helped the team gain another decent lead over the Brahmas.

The lack of paint presence for the Falcons was damaging for them mainly due to the enormous size difference between the two teams.

Head coach Trisha Kozlowski said, “I think [No.] 15 being in there and we don’t see someone of that size who’s you know getting in there…so you just gotta take what the defense gives you sometimes.”

Overall the Falcons’ ball movement improved and they were able to hold onto a 50-38 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

From the start of the second quarter, the Falcons took control of this game going into the fourth leading 50-38. The feeling of the Brahmas losing the game was becoming very real and you could hear teammates shouting at each other to wake up.

The fourth quarter was all LA Pierce as Cerritos blew a 12-point lead allowing the Brahmas to go on a 16-4 run, tying the score at 54. Neither team was able to score anymore and this game was sent into overtime.

The Brahmas scored first but the ball traveled well through both teams that they would tie a few more times.

Both teams were out of fouls leading them to gain points from free throws but the Brahmas were able to take advantage of more of those than the Falcons.

Cerritos wasn’t able to hold on much longer as they had multiple missed scoring opportunities and turnovers with time winding down fast which ultimately cost them the game.

Sophomore LA Pierce player, Kayla Fisher said she didn’t expect Cerritos to give her team a difficult time tonight.

“I think this was probably one of the best games I’ve ever played. I like a competitive game, a game that we can go tit for tat,” said Fisher.

“I loved this game, the energy was great, the sportsmanship was immaculate. I think it was a really good game and I believe that Cerritos has a solid team,” Fisher explained.

This is the 5th straight loss for the Cerritos women’s basketball team and they now sit at a 2-8 record.