Citrus Owls secure Lauer's 100th career win
GLENDORA - Citrus College rolled past Cerritos College 77-63 on Friday night to hand head coach Brett Lauer his 100th career victory.
Lauer becomes the second-fastest coach in Owl history to reach 100 career wins – behind all-time wins record holder Rick Croy (2005-10) – after taking over the program prior to the 2016-17 season.
As a team, Citrus shot the ball well from the floor, boasting a 52.8 shooting percentage to move to 4-1 on the year.
Three Owls finished the night in double figures, led by Anthony Tello's 17 points. Francis Dogani followed with 15 points (5-for-7) and Leonard Turner turned in a 12-point performance (5-for-8).
Two quick treys to start the game set the Owls up for success as they jumped out to an early 6-0 lead.
The Falcons tried to match the Owls to not let the home team get too much momentum, but with six minutes remaining in the first half, Tello drained a shot from the perimeter to put his team up by double digits, 23-13.
Citrus took a 37-28 lead heading into halftime and looked to carry that momentum into the second half.
Cerritos came out and scored the first two points of the half, but Turner and Hayden Dykstra banked in back-to-back shots to create some distance for the Owls, 41-30.
Heading down the stretch with a 65-49 upper hand, the Owls took care of business at the line and threatened a 20-point lead after Turner posted up on a Jayden Johnston assist, 75-56.
While the Falcons evaded the huge deficit, they couldn't overcome a 14-point margin as the Owls grabbed the 77-63 victory.
Citrus looks to build on the win heading into Tuesday's matchup with MiraCosta. The Spartans come to the Owls' Nest for a 3:00 p.m. tip off.
(Sammi Wellman, Citrus College Athletics)