Fullerton Assured of State Basketball Playoff Berth

Fullerton College is the only Orange County team assured of a berth in the men’s state community college basketball tournament after the pairings were announced Sunday.

The Hornets (8-7, 14-14) have a home game riding on the outcome of Wednesday night’s final regular season South Coast Conference game against Compton. If Fullerton wins, it would advance to the playoffs as the No. 15 team and would be at home against Oxnard (7-5, 15-11).

If Fullerton loses, Compton becomes the No. 13 seed and plays Oxnard at home. The Hornets would be the No. 22 seed and play at Santa Monica (9-5, 20-11).

The 26 seeds were determined for the Southern division’s six community college conferences.

“We thought we would be playing Wednesday just to get in,” said Roger See, Fullerton coach. “Playing for a home game should be motivation enough for our players.”

Saddleback, another SCC member, will become the 25th seed and play Pasadena, if the Gauchos (7-8, 12-14) beat Rancho Santiago Wednesday. If Saddleback loses, Mira Costa advances into postseason play.

“This sure makes it clear, we know we have it right in our laps,” Saddleback Coach Bill Brummel said.

Cerritos (14-1, 28-2) was seeded No. 1. The Falcons are tied for first in the SCC with Cypress (14-1, 25-5). The Chargers are ineligible for postseason play because of recruiting violations.

The teams are divided into four divisions, using an NCAA format instead of the Shaughnessy system used in past seasons. The six conference winners get a bye in the first round, and the winner of each division qualifies for the state playoffs at Cerritos March 13-15.

The other four teams for the state playoffs will come from the Northern division tournament. The seeds will be announced Tuesday.