SCC Crossovers Take Their Toll On Men's Basketball

While they don't count in the South Coast Conference North Division standings, crossover games v. South Division opponents were a nightmare for the Pasadena City College men's basketball team in 2020. Cerritos extended PCC's losing streak to six games, 91-85, on Friday at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium. It was also the fifth consecutive defeat v. a SCC South opponent since the start of the new year.

The Lancers fell to 9-11 overall and finished their annual conference crossover run at 1-5, the only win v. El Camino, 72-47, back on Dec. 4. During the losing streak, which started with a non-conference defeat v. Copper Mountain on Dec. 29, PCC has either led or been within low single digits of the opponent late in each of the games. In all, the team's losing margin was 26 points or an average margin of defeat of just 4.3 points.

PCC will try to return to the win column as it begins its 8-game, SCC North schedule next Friday, Jan. 24 when it hosts Rio Hondo College. Tip-off is 7 p.m.

Against Cerritos, PCC fell behind 10-0, 13-3 and 18-7, but rallied to take a 39-37 lead on a tip-in, put back basket by Deandro Worrell with 1:33 left before halftime. The Falcons (11-7) responded with a 7-0 run for a 44-39 first-half advantage. In the second half, the Lancers last hurrah was tying it on a Worrell layup at 46-46. Jalen Washington hit a jumper that started a 15-2 run by Cerritos. The Lancers fell behind by as much as 16 points at 81-65, and stayed in catch-up mode the rest of the game.

A basket-and-one by Mike Harris cut it to four, 87-83, with 45 seconds left but Cerritos sealed its win with three free throws by high-scorer Jeremiah Galang, who finished with 22 points (including five 3-pointers).

Worrell, a 6-foot-6 sophomore starting forward from El Paso, Texas, continues to be a force for PCC. Worrell scored 19 points (8-for-12 on inside baskets) and pulled down 15 rebounds while blocking three shots. With 5:45 left, he exited with his fifth foul which left the Lancers without a rebounding presence. In all, Cerritos outrebounded PCC, 56-30, as Worrell accounted for half of the team's boards. In his last four games, Worrell totaled 70 points and 57 rebounds for averages of 17.5 points and 14.3 rebounds. Also in the hot stretch, he is shooting a lights-out 69 percent from the field (31 of 45 attempts). 

Worrell led five Lancers in double figures in scoring with Harris hitting 17 points off the bench. Forward Gabriel Ajemian (10-for-13 on free throws) and guard Rasheet Wilson (four treys) each scored 16 points while guard Patric Panoosi reached 13 points. The only starter to not reach double digits was point guard and 40-minute rock London Benford who had four points, six assists, and three steals. 

For Cerritos, which features a full starting lineup of players whose names start with J, were also paced by forwards Jacob Washington with 17 points and 17 rebounds and Jaishon Forte who also picked up a double-double on 19 points and 12 boards. 

On Jan. 10, the Lancers lost in overtime at Compton, 87-84. PCC trailed by nine with four minutes to go, but a Benford jumper with 28 seconds left sent the game to OT at 76-76. The Lancers led twice in the 5-minute extra period but the Tartars would take the lead for good at 85-83 on a layup by Dejour Hamlin with 21 seconds remaining. Worrell scored his PCC career high of 23 points (10-for-12 from the floor) and grabbed 17 rebounds, Ajemian added 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals, and Wilson had 17 points. Compton's Dominique Alexander recorded a rare community college triple-double on 21 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists (plus six steals). 

On Jan. 15, PCC lost at Long Beach City, 87-80, despite Wilson contributing 19 points, nine assists and six rebounds and Ajemian scoring 20 points. Panoosi added 16 points. For the Vikings, Aaron Jelks tallied 17 points and 11 assists. Pasadena trimmed a 15-point deficit to four, 74-70, with 2:39 left but the Vikings pulled away to complete its victory.