Cerritos College Surprises Taft College Basketball

TAFT, CA – After defeating top ranked #16 Irvine Valley College days before, Taft College Women's Basketball went on the road to face Cerritos College on Wednesday, November 13. The victory was in Taft's favor, but Cerritos changed that storyline, defeating the Lady Cougars 66-63.

Taft came in with a 3-2 record, while Cerritos was still winless with a 0-2 record. The Lady Cougars would start the game off on fire outscoring Cerritos 10-0. However, the Lady Falcons would catch their stride and closed the gap allowing Taft to win the 1^st quarter 19-13. Taft would win the 3^rd and 4^th quarter, but the second quarter belonged to Cerritos outscoring Taft 29-12.

The fourth quarter was a nail-biter. TC Point guard Ella Waufle would foul out somewhat early with 12 points. The Cougars would continue back and forth with Cerritos to gain advantage as the game came to an end. The Cougars had three opportunities with jump ball, rebounding and time-out possessions to put away the home team with 45 seconds left, but costly turnovers allowed the Falcons to capitalize and secure the victory. Taft compounded 29 turnovers in the game. TC would outrebound Cerritos 47-24.

Taft Head Women's Basketball Coach Romeo Lagmay, Jr. shared his outlook, "I was very disappointed in this game. We totally underachieved, and we choked in the end. We currently are in a situation we were in last season, where it seems as if we can beat any team in the state, but can lose to any team in the state. Though it's early in the season and we are still learning, games like this, we have no excuse. We know what we are capable of, and we let this slip away from us. However, I'm confident we will bounce back instantaneously. We need to stay consistent. Our players are starting to understand the process and the urgency."

Madyn Kassatly led the game with a double double of 23 points and 12 rebounds, and 7 assists. Amaya Payne and Alesha Gordon also grabbed team highs in rebounding, 14 and 12 respectively.

Taft will host Los Medanos College on Tuesday, November 19 at 5:00 pm.