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Twenty Orange County girls basketball teams will be on the court Wednesday, spread across every division in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. One game, however, holds especially strong storylines for county fans.
Fairmont Prep vs. Buena Park.
Just four days after a thrilling No. 1 vs. No. 2 O.C. clash between Mater Dei and Sage Hill, the county’s fourth and fifth-ranked teams will meet in the Division 2AA quarterfinals.
Fairmont Prep (22-8) and Buena Park (21-9) will tipoff at Buena Park High at 5:30 p.m.
The schools, which are located about 2.5 miles apart, will not only compete for a trip to Saturday’s semifinals, they will also duel for a berth in the regional playoffs. All semifinalists in Division 1 through Division 5A qualify for the regional playoffs, which follow the section championships.
Another rankings debate will fuel the narrative. Fairmont Prep is seeded fourth in Division 2AA, one spot ahead of Buena Park. In the county rankings, Buena Park is fourth, one spot ahead of Fairmont Prep.
“We are ready and prepared,” Fairmont Prep coach Josh Lozano said Tuesday. “(At) this point, it’s just continuing to do what we do. Play hard, play together and play for each other.”
“We aren’t too concerned what this does for Orange County,” he added. “(We’re) accepting whatever challenge is in front of us in that moment.”
Both teams prepared by playing against higher-ranked opponents late in the regular season. The Huskies faced Windward (Division 1), Orangewood Academy (Open Division) and Ontario Christian (Open). The Coyotes’ final two nonleague games were against Ontario Christian and Etiwanda (Open).
Fairmont Prep is led by guard Adyra Rajan. The sophomore set career highs with 36 points and nine 3-pointers against Beaumont in the first round of the playoffs.
Buena Park features its own hot scorer in Gloria Barrera, a junior who is averaging 25 points in the playoffs.
One key to watch for Fairmont Prep is its passing. In a 68-45 victory against Rialto in the the second round, the Huskies recorded assists on 24 of 29 field goals.
For Buena Park, watch for the availability of center Alana White. The sophomore missed several games late in the regular season with a sprained wrist and hasn’t played in the playoffs, coach DeAnthony Wiley said.
Wiley said White is unlikely to play Wednesday.
Injuries have been challenging for the Coyotes. On the way to their first Freeway League title, they lost point guard Hannah Fuentes to a season-ending knee injury.
“Credit goes to my staff and especially the kids for stepping up and holding us down,” Wiley said. “We’re honored to have the opportunity to keep playing.”
OTHER STORYLINES FOR WEDNESDAY
Dana Hills (26-4) and Villa Park (19-10), ranked No. 21 and No. 24 in the county, respectively, collide in the Division 3A quarterfinals at Dana Hills High at 7 p.m. The fourth-seeded Spartans and No. 5 seeded Dolphins are young teams. Each side is expected to start only one senior: Madison Dellner of Dana Hills and Kaitlyn Ith of Villa Park. …
The Trinity League is 7-1 in the playoffs thanks in part of Santa Margarita’s run to the Division 2A quarterfinals at Burroughs of Burbank at 6 p.m. Senior forward Lea-Line Romain has averaged 14 points and eight rebounds for the Eagles, who placed fourth in the league. Sydnie Lendsey is averaging 13.5 points in CIF. “We have stepped it up a notch with our effort and that has impacted all areas of our game,” Santa Margarita coach Seyram Bell said. …
In the lower part of the Division 2A bracket, Beckman (20-8) pulled off the biggest upset in the county last week by defeating then-No. 14 Los Alamitos 54-42 to reach the quarterfinals at No. 2 seed Lakewood.