Pirates’ streak is grounded

Cerritos comes out on fire offensively and Orange Coast can’t catch up, ending a four-game roll for the No. 6 team in Southern California.COSTA MESA -- Orange Coast College’s foray into nonconference play had a tough result as the Pirates lost, 74-72, to Cerritos in a men’s basketball game Friday night.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Pirates.

OCC (16-7) was ranked No. 6 in Southern California and No. 12 in the state entering the contest. Cerritos was unranked, but had won its previous five in a row.

The Falcons were extremely efficient in the first half, shooting 62.5% from the field on 15 of 24 shooting. Their offensive outburst continued in the second half as they made 14 of their 23 shots.

OCC, which shot 38.7% in the opening 20 minutes, rallied in the second half, but could not close the deal.

Cerritos (12-11) also enjoyed a significant advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Pirates, 38-22.

Aaron Thompson and Alex Nixon led the way for Cerritos, each scoring 17 points. Thompson added nine rebounds and Nixon had six rebounds and three steals.

Brian Tollette came off the bench to score 13 points for the Falcons.

Orange Coast was led offensively by Steven Cornett. The freshman center connected on nine of his 11 shots and finished with 19 points, more than double his season average of 8.9 points per contest.

Mykel Valentine chipped in with 11 points and three assists, and Lance Ortiz added 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Matt Davis, who had averaged 11.7 points and 3.7 rebounds over the last three games, did not play for OCC.

The Pirates struggled from beyond the arc, making eight of 24 three-pointers in the game. Aaron Green, Greg Okudibonye and Reggie Brown each made two.

OCC is off until Wednesday, when it plays host to Santa Ana College in a 5:30 p.m. Orange Empire Conference game.

The Dons are 10-12, 0-3 in conference, after losing to Saddleback, 67-50, on Friday night. Santa Ana has lost four in a row.

Nonconference

Cerritos 74, Orange Coast 72

Score by Halves