COMMUNITY COLLEGE NOTES : State’s Top Basketball Teams in County Tournaments

Some of the state’s top teams will be in Orange County this week to play in the Rancho Santiago men’s and the Fullerton women’s basketball tournaments.

The 16-team Fullerton tournament starts Monday and features Golden West, ranked third in the state, and fourth-ranked Cypress.

Golden West opens with a 3:30 p.m. game against Los Angeles Pierce. Cypress takes on Oakland Ohlone at 5:15 p.m. Cypress and Golden West are in the same bracket and could meet in a semifinal.

Fullerton, unranked in the state but ranked 10th in Southern California, plays Phoenix in the first round at 7 p.m. Monday. The semifinals are at 6 and 8 p.m. Wednesday and the title game is 4 p.m. Thursday.

Rancho Santiago plays host to the Northwestern Mutual Life Tournament starting Tuesday.

Saddleback takes on Compton, ranked 14th in the state, in the opening game at 2 p.m. Mt. San Antonio plays Oceanside MiraCosta at 4 p.m., Long Beach, ranked fifth, plays Chaffey at 6 p.m. Rancho Santiago goes against Shoreline of Washington at 8 p.m. Rancho Santiago is unranked in the state but is 12th in Southern California. The poll was compiled before the Dons beat Fullerton on Dec. 17 in the championship game of the Crown City Tournament in Pasadena. Fullerton is ranked fourth in California.

The semifinals are at 6 and 8 p.m. Wednesday and the title game is at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Irvine Valley will play Ventura, the top-ranked team in the state, Monday in the opening round of the Hancock tournament.

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All-state football: Jesse Gomez, an offensive lineman from Rancho Santiago, was the only Orange County player to make the all-state football team, selected by the coaches’ association. Gomez is a sophomore center from Santa Ana High School. He transferred to Rancho Santiago from the University of Oregon.

Tom Luginbill, a sophomore quarterback from Palomar, was the offensive player of the year. Craig Person, a sophomore defensive back also from Palomar, was the defensive player of the year. The Comets were 11-0 and won the J.C. Grid-Wire national championship.

The most glaring omission from the team was Saddleback’s Scott von der Ahe, a sophomore linebacker. Von der Ahe set Saddleback’s all-time tackle and sack records and was a J.C. Grid-Wire all-American.

Von der Ahe was on the first-team of the Region IV team that included all of Southern California. Also on the team were: defensive lineman Efriam Miranda (Orange Coast) defensive back Scott Caringella (Golden West), punter Justin Sogoian (OCC), wide receiver Ryan Roskelly (Fullerton), offensive lineman John Grootegood (OCC) and running back Jeff Clayton (OCC).