Three Orange County Teams Attempt to Join Playoff Field

Three Orange County teams will attempt to reach the CIF Southern Section playoffs tonight in wild-card games that are used to finalize the 32-team field for the 4-A and 3-A divisions.

Fullerton (15-9) plays host to Western (10-12) in the 3-A while El Modena (13-10) travels to Norco (14-10) in the 4-A. The winner of the Fullerton-Western game meets fourth-seeded Morningside (16-7) Friday night. The Norco-El Modena winner meets Corona del Mar (22-4) Friday.

Fullerton is led by guard Ralph Tallant, averaging 15.6 points per game, and forward Chris Zerga, averaging 12.1 points and 7.3 rebounds. Troy Joseph is Western’s top player, averaging 16.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

Three-year starter Ryan Rycraw paces El Modena with a 17.6 scoring average and 7.5 rebounds per game. Junior Pat Harlow, a 6-foot 7-inch forward, is the top player for Norco.