Fremont Won’t Be Allowed in Playoffs

Los Angeles Fremont, seeded second in the City Section boys’ basketball playoffs, was removed from the tournament Tuesday after section officials determined that six players who were transfers were ineligible.

Fremont, which was 22-3 overall and 10-0 in the Coliseum League, will have to forfeit any contest in which the players participated.

The team Fremont was scheduled to play Friday in the opening round of the City Championship divisional playoffs, 15th-seeded Lake Balboa Birmingham, will pick up a forfeit victory and advance to the quarterfinals.

The City Section ruled that the players were in violation of CIF rules 214 (transfer eligibility) and 200 D (providing false information). The Pathfinders used five players who transferred from out of state and one from within the state.

A little more than two weeks ago, the City Section launched an investigation into the eligibility of the players after receiving a tip. Because the investigation began before Saturday’s seeding meeting, the team was subject to immediate sanctions instead of removing the ineligible players.

The school and the players could face additional sanctions after the City rules committee reviews the matter March 7.

Barbara Fiege, City Section commissioner, said the playoff brackets will not be adjusted because previous policy in the City and other sections has been to simply remove teams and award a forfeit.

Fremont’s departure creates a wide-open bottom half of the playoff bracket, with third-seeded Woodland Hills Taft, sixth-seeded L.A. Crenshaw and 10th-seeded L.A. Washington all capable of reaching the final March 4 at the Sports Arena.

Eric Sondheimer

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Girls’ Soccer

Alexa Orand, a senior forward at Orange El Modena, has been selected the Gatorade state girls’ player of the year.

She has 22 goals and 12 assists this season, her first playing varsity soccer, and will lead the Vanguards (17-5) against Quartz Hill in a first-round game of the Southern Section Division II playoffs Saturday at El Modena.

“It’s nice that other people acknowledge you,” Orand said. “I’ve been playing so long and I work pretty hard. But I don’t know, I don’t really think too much about awards.”

Orand was invited to an under-17 national team camp as a 14-year-old freshman. But she played basketball, not soccer, for El Modena until this season.

At 17, she is the youngest member of the U.S. under-19 national team and helped the squad defeat Brazil, 3-0, in the third-place match of the 2004 FIFA under-19 world championships in Bangkok.

She played previously on under-15 and under-16 national teams and led the Slammers FC club team to three state age-group titles and one national championship.

Orand, who has a 4.5 grade-point average, signed a national letter of intent to play at Santa Clara.

“I know how Alexa stacks up against the other players in the state,” said Chris Snyder, El Modena’s first-year coach. “Actually, I know how she stacks up against other players all across the country, and she’s right up there.”

-- Lauren Peterson