Horton’s Hornets Are Flying High

Fullerton men’s basketball Coach Dieter Horton experienced a new feeling last week--winning in the Orange Empire Conference.

Horton was an assistant at Fullerton last season but when Coach Tim Sweeney left Jan. 16 because of health problems, Horton took over and endured the Hornets’ 0-14 record in the Orange Empire Conference.

He got his first victory Wednesday when Fullerton scored the final 11 points in a 71-70 victory over Cypress.

“They got us twice last year,” Horton said afterward. “We have only one player back, so I don’t know if the players remember, but I do.”

Fullerton (9-9, 2-0) beat Rancho Santiago, 77-66, Friday and joins Irvine Valley (15-5, 2-0) and Riverside (15-6, 2-0) as the only undefeated teams in conference.

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Women’s basketball: Irvine Valley, which had two byes last week, starts Orange Empire Conference play with two home games this week.

The Lasers (13-5) take on Orange Coast (14-6, 1-1) Wednesday, then meet conference favorite Rancho Santiago (15-3, 2-0) Friday. Both games are at 7:30 p.m.

While Irvine Valley’s byes came back-to-back at the start of the conference schedule, Rancho Santiago’s come at the end. The Dons play five games in a row then have a week off in each round.

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Going for 300: Dana Pagett, the Rancho Santiago men’s basketball coach, needs two victories to reach 300.

Pagett, in his 14th season, has a 298-143 record. His teams won state titles in 1990 and 1991.