Upstart Monarchs Face Top-Seeded Falcons for Holiday Classic Title

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Interstat) — The Cerritos Falcons, riding a five-game winning streak and boasting one of the state’s top records, are overwhelming favorites against the surging Los Angeles Valley Monarchs in the SBCC/ECC Holiday Classic championship game on Saturday.

The men’s junior college basketball final pits the tournament’s seed, Cerritos (8-2), against a Valley squad (5-4) that has won four of its last five, including a 69-67 semifinal victory over Barstow on Friday. Interstat’s ELO system projects Cerritos with a 98.4% probability to win.

Cerritos advanced with a 67-60 win over host Santa Barbara City College on Friday. Isaac Sowell, a versatile 6-foot-7 forward, leads the Falcons. He nearly posted a triple-double with 8 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists in the semifinal and has been a consistent force, averaging 8.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists over his last six games. He is complemented by guard Dorian Tate, who scored a team-high 19 points Friday.

Los Angeles Valley will counter with forward Deng Lual, who is coming off a dominant 21-point, 12-rebound performance in the semifinals. Over his last three games, Lual is averaging 11.7 points and 14.3 rebounds. His interior presence has been key to the Monarchs’ recent turnaround.

“We know what the numbers say, but championships are won on the court,“ said Valley coach John Smith. “Our guys are playing with confidence and we’re defending at a high level. We’ll need to be even better against a team as complete as Cerritos.“

Cerritos coach Russ May emphasized focus. “Valley is hot and they have a player in Lual who can change the game. We have to stick to our principles, value possessions, and use our depth.“

The Falcons’ only losses this season came against Citrus (84-71) and Chaffey (85-84). Valley’s wins during its current run have been tight, with an average margin of 4.3 points.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the SBCC Sports Pavilion.