Men’s basketball loses to Cerritos 86-59 and closes out season with a 5-23 record

The Vikings basketball team ended their season with an 86-59 loss to the Cerritos Falcons, due to Cerritos forward Dorian Tate scoring 29 points. 

The Vikings started strong on defense, grabbing numerous rebounds and forcing steals to set the tone early.

“I think we moved the ball well and played solid defense, holding them to just 30 points for most of the first half is a win in itself for us.” said point guard Nathaniel Parris.

LBCC held an early lead midway through the first quarter but couldn’t maintain it, the Vikings were trailing 40-30 heading into halftime.

“Our energy kind of dropped, and they took advantage of it. We weren’t able to respond in time before the half.” point guard Lawrence Brown said.

The Vikings opened the second half flat, failing to secure rebounds and allowing Tate, a leading conference MVP candidate, to capitalize with second-chance points in the paint.

When asked about his matchup, wing  Kamron Fontenot acknowledged the challenge.

 “He’s an MVP candidate, so battling with him down there is always a plus. He got his numbers, but it was a good fight,”  Fontenot said.

Despite the adversity this group has faced this season with coming up short in conference play games, they have continued to grow as a team and develop freshman. 

“Theres more opportunities for our freshman group to just get more and more experience,” Brown said.

With this being both the final conference game and Sophomore Night, the Vikings placed a special emphasis on passing the torch to the freshmen and highlighting the next wave of talent. 

“The sophomore group leads the freshman as much as possible and makes sure everybody has a straight head. And is good mentally and physically,” Brown said. 

The Vikings aren’t just a basketball team they’re excelling in the classroom as well, earning nominations for the Academic Athlete Team with an impressive 3.1 GPA.

“Its about getting education because basketball is a small part of your life, and it’s about getting that degree,” head coach Barry Barnes said.

The Vikings’ 2025–26 season has come to a close with a 5-23 record but the team looks to  develop their young talent and add players who can provide a boost in size and presence on the court.