Fullerton Tournament : Fullerton Defeats Valencia : Indians Use Tallant to Win a Championship

There was a Tallant show of sorts in the championship game of the Fullerton Tournament Friday, one that surely pleased any talent scouts who might have been there.

If nothing else, it pleased Fullerton High School Coach Randy Forgette, who saw his Indians win the tournament by edging Valencia, 45-44, behind the play of senior forward Ralph Tallant.

Tallant scored 14 points, with his last 2 coming with 34 seconds to play, to give the Indians a one-point lead and the final margin of victory. Valencia had three shots at the basket in the remaining seconds, but solid defense by the Indians ensured the win.

Although it was Tallant who scored what proved to be the winning basket, it was his overall play throughout the contest that helped the Indians win their tournament for the second year in a row.

Whenever Fullerton needed a key basket, rebound or just somebody to bring the ball up the court against Valencia’s pesky press, it was usually Tallant who delivered.

So it was with 1:14 to play and Fullerton trailing, 44-40. Tallant fed forward Chris Zerga the ball inside, and Zerga responded with a layup, was fouled and made the subsequent free throw, putting the Indians behind by a single point.

Following a turnover, Tallant drove across the lane, pulled up and hit a 10-footer that danced around the rim before dropping in and ultimately giving the Indians the game.

That five-point burst fueled by Tallant was no small feat, considering that Valencia played a tenacious zone throughout the game, making most inside play difficult if not dangerous.

The teams played nip-and-tuck going down to the final minute, with neither team able to pull away by more than five points. Fullerton led after one quarter, 10-6, but the game was tied at halftime at 26 apiece and again at three quarters at 36.

With zone defenses predominating, outside shooting was the order of the game for most of the evening, with Fullerton’s Kirk Lentz (10 points) and Valencia’s David La Rue and Kevin Jones (12 each) doing most of the gunning.

The win ultimately proved to be an inside job, however, with Tallant’s drives leading the way.

Though he may not be well known beyond Freeway League exits, if he plays as well throughout the Indians’ upcoming league season as he did Friday night, Tallant will surely be recognized as among the better players in the county, much less the intersection of Chapman and Lemon in Fullerton.

In the third place final, Cerritos defeated La Mirada, 57-44.

VALENCIA (44)--Burbank 6, Hood 4, Jones 12, La Rue 12, Nakawaki 10.

FULLERTON (45)--Lentz 10, Hetland 5, Wilber 4, Zerga 8, Perez 4, Tallant 14.

In the consolation final:

Villa Park 62, Buena Park 50--The Spartans outscored the Coyotes, 21-4, in the first quarter and were never headed on their way to the fifth-place championship. Greg Burton paced the Spartans with 26 points and Steve Barnett added 13. Mike Kotzin led Buena Park with 16 points.

VILLA PARK (62)--Bray 2, Burton 26, Tanner 3, Sipe 6, Storck 8, Creagen 4, Barnett 13.

BUENA PARK (50)--Smith 4, O. Robbins 2, Kotzin 16, Toscano 13, Hunter 15.