SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Interstat) — A compelling men’s junior college basketball matchup is set for Friday at the ECC/SBCC Tournament as the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros host the Cerritos College Falcons.

The Falcons (6-2) enter following a 71-84 road loss to Citrus on Dec. 6, which snapped a four-game winning streak. In that game, Kamaury Washington scored 20 points and David Mack added 14. Cerritos has shown resilience, with earlier wins over Santiago Canyon (79-64) and Allan Hancock (71-68).

A key player for Cerritos is Isaac Sowell, who has been a consistent all-around contributor. Over his last five games, Sowell is averaging 8.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists, including a near triple-double of 8 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a win over Oxnard on Dec. 11.

The Santa Barbara Vaqueros (7-3) are coming off a 75-60 home victory over Coalinga on Thursday. Jack Berry led the way with 15 points and 6 rebounds, continuing his strong play. Berry has scored 15 points in two of his last three contests, providing a reliable offensive spark for the Vaqueros.

Despite Santa Barbara’s solid record and home-court advantage, a statistical projection from Interstat’s ELO system heavily favors Cerritos, giving the Falcons a 92.20 percent probability to win.

This tournament game serves as a final non-conference test for both teams before their holiday breaks. Cerritos will look to validate its strong statistical rating, while Santa Barbara aims to pull an upset and build momentum before beginning Western State Conference play in January.

Tip-off is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 12, 2025.