South Coast Title, Playoff Spots Are at Stake Tonight

Tonight is the final and most important night of the South Coast Conference regular season. Not only is the conference championship at stake, but so is second, third and fifth place. Among the postseason contenders, only fourth-place Orange Coast College knows where it will finish in the standings.

Three of tonight’s four games, which will be played at 7:30, are crucial. First-place Cerritos, seeking its third straight title, plays host to Cypress, which is fighting with Saddleback and Compton for fifth place and the SCC’s final Shaughnessy playoff berth. Saddleback is at Compton, and Fullerton, winner of seven straight, is at Mt. San Antonio, in a game in which the winner will at least clinch second and could win the title. The only game that will not figure in the playoff picture is Golden West at Santa Ana.

Here are all the mind-boggling possibilities, according to SCC Commisioner Don MacKenzie:

--Cerritos can win the title by beating Cypress. But if the Falcons are upset, they will be tied by the winner of the Fullerton--Mt. San Antonio game, forcing a one-game playoff for the championship Saturday night. The playoff would postpone the start of the Shaughnessy playoffs from Saturday to Monday.

--If Cypress upsets Cerritos and Saddleback beat Compton, the Chargers and Gauchos would tie for fifth place. The tie would be broken by determining which school has beaten the team highest in the standings.

--Saddleback can win fifth place outright if it beats Compton and Cypress loses to Cerritos.

--If Saddleback loses to Compton and Cypress loses to Cerritos, there will be a three-way tie for fifth place. The tie would be broken by determining which school has beaten the highest in the standings.

What would complicate things most would be a Cypress win over Cerritos. But since the Falcons are coming off an upset loss to Orange Coast Saturday, they will be especially hard for the Chargers to beat. And to make things that much tougher for Cypress, starting center John Berwick will unable to play because of a fractured hand. He will be replaced in the lineup by freshman Kirk Kramer.

South Coast Conference

Conference Overall School W L W L Cerritos ............... 13 2 22 5 Mt. San Antonio ............ 12 3 25 4 Fullerton .................. 12 3 18 10 Orange Coast ............... 9 7 18 12 Cypress .................... 7 8 13 12 Saddleback ................. 7 8 17 12 Compton .................... 6 9 11 15 Santa Ana .................. 2 13 10 18 Golden West ................ 0 15 7 21