The Knights made it to the Grossmont Invitational championship game with wins over Desert and Moorpark, but had to settle for second place for the second consecutive week after falling to No. 8 Cerritos, 80-75, on Sunday night.
Freshman forward Robby Robinson led the Knights with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks. He recorded a double-double in all three games at the Grossmont Invitational and now has six on the season.
Freshman point guard Kai Huntsberry (18 points) and freshman Victor Irhirhi (13 points) scored 31 of the Knights' 39 bench points.
Joseph Riley had 12 points and three rebounds and was named to the all-tournament team after totaling 57 points, including 17 3-pointers, in the three games.
The Knights held a 4-point lead midway through the first half against Cerritos when a 12-1 run, capped off by a Huntsberry jump shot, gave them their largest lead of the game, 33-18, with four minutes left in the half.
Their lead was down to 40-32 at the break and then down to just two points with 15:40 left in the game, but Huntsberry nailed two 3-pointers in the midst of a 10-2 run to put the Knights back up by 10 with 12:15 remaining.
That's when Cerritos guard Tawon Elston, who was named tournament MVP, heated up by scoring 10 of his game-high 21 points during a 14-2 run that put the Falcons ahead, 59-57.
Cerritos' lead grew to six points late in the game, but an Irhirhi a 3-pointer with 1:32 left on the clock got the Knights back to within three points at 78-75.
After a defensive stop, Adrian Byrd-Jelinek and Robinson had good looks on game-tying 3s, but neither were successful and Elston put the game away for Cerritos with a jumper on the other end.
The Knights started the tournament with a 74-62 victory over Desert on Friday. Four starters scored in double figures, including Riley who led with 16 points and five assists. Robinson added 15 points and 17 boards.
In the semifinals against Moorpark, the Knights went ahead by as many as 24 points in the first half, but had to fight off a late run from the Raiders to win, 93-82. Riley hit eight 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 29 points. Byrd-Jelinek added 15 points and seven rebounds.
City will be back home on Tuesday, December 11 with a game against No. 7 San Bernardino Valley at 5 p.m.
