No. 1 Men’s Basketball Drops Overtime Contest to Cerritos

Compton, Calif. - Sophomore Kyvonte Davis led all scorers with a career-high tying 20 points on 80 percent shooting, but the top-ranked El Camino College Compton Center Tartars dropped a 91-84 contest in overtime to Cerritos on Friday evening.

The Tartars (22-4, 5-1) still lead the South Coast Conference South Division with a one-game edge.

ECC Compton Center overcame a five-point halftime deficit (46-41) in the second half to force a back-and-forth backend 20 minutes behind eight tie scores and four lead changes.

Down by as many as eight at the 78-70 mark with only 2:37 left on the clock, the Tartars chipped away at the Falcons' lead to go on an 8-0 run behind a pair of layups by Davis and steals by three ECC Compton Center players. At the end of the stretch, sophomore Alonzo Taylor hit two big free throws with 54 seconds left, followed by DaJion Henderson hitting the front end of two to tie the game at 78 and force overtime.

Both teams struggled to score out of the gate in the final five minutes of the game before Cerritos was able to convert, forcing the Tartars to foul to stop the clock. After shooting 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from the line during regulation, the Falcons converted on their final seven attempts to hold the lead as time expired. 

Sophomores Jayvon Brown and DaJion Henderson both posted 17-point nights, while Taylor rounded out the double-figure scorers with 14. Henderson added a team-high 12 rebounds, while Davis counted a team-high tying three steals.

Malik Smith led the Falcons with 16 points off the bench

The men's basketball team looks to bounce back on Wednesday, Feb. 8 when it hosts LA Harbor for its annual Coaches vs. Cancer game at 5 p.m. Fans are invited to wear blue, and the team will honor former Tartar Carthal McDonald, who recently passed away from cancer. 

ECC Compton Center Notes: The team's 15-game winning streak was the longest of the season by any team in the state ... The last time ECC Compton Center earned 22 wins in a season was the 2006-07 season when it finished 22-10 overall, falling in the first round of the state tournament … Sophomore Alonzo Taylor has counted double-digit points games in each conference contest … In South Coast Conference play, the Tartars are No. 1 for points (187), free throw attempts per game (31.8), total rebounds per game (47.7), steals per game (12.8), and points per game (97.8) … The team is No. 1 in the state for total points (2,414), points per game (92.8), field goals made per game (34.7), offensive rebounds per game (17.0), total rebounds per game (46.4), assists per game (19.8) and steals per game (12.3).