Biggest Field Ever in Basketball to Highlight Los Angeles Games

The annual Los Angeles Games (formerly the Watts Summer Games) get under way this weekend in 13 sports at 16 sites around the Southland, with the biggest field ever in basketball and Banning High defending its title in non-contact football. Torrance High will be the focal point for much of the action, hosting football, baseball and girls basketball.

Team competition will also be held in the 18th annual games in softball, boys and girls volleyball, soccer and water polo. Individual competitions include gymnastics, swimming, tennis, track and field, wrestling and a 5-kilometer run.

Promoters say the 128-team boys basketball field is “believed to be the largest competition in the nation--possibly the world.”

Whatever the standing, the tournament will display some of the best high school teams and players in the nation. Opening-round games will be played Saturday and Sunday at Birmingham, Dorsey, Fremont, Hamilton, Hollywood, Jordan, Kennedy and Los Angeles high schools as well as at Valley College. The field includes defending state champion Crenshaw, defending CIF champ Mater Dei, and powerful entries from Carson, Cleveland, Long Beach Poly and Banning.

18 South Bay Teams

Eighteen South Bay schools are among the field.

While the boys are battling, 64 girls teams will open play at Torrance, Locke, Manual Arts and Hollywood high schools. The field includes nine South Bay teams.

Basketball winners Saturday will play Sunday morning, and those who advance will play again Sunday afternoon. Competition will conclude the following weekend with the championship at Valley College on June 30.

Football, basically seven-on-seven passing competition, begins Saturday at Torrance High and Valley College, with winners playing Sunday morning with a chance to advance to Sunday afternoon. Finals will be played the following weekend at Valley College.

While there is no tackling, the football competition is often a barometer of whom to watch next fall. The field includes defending City 4-A champ Carson, neighborhood foe Banning and 11 other South Bay entries.

Soccer Openers

Opening soccer games will be played Saturday and Sunday at Birmingham High, with winners playing there Sunday afternoon. Quarterfinals, semis and the championship will be played the following weekend at Valley College. Nine South Bay teams are entered.

Girls volleyball will be played in eight pools of five at Grant High and Valley College, with the pool winners advancing to quarterfinals next weekend at Valley College. Five South Bay teams are included.

Boys baseball pairings were incomplete early in the week but the field will have 40 teams, including Torrance, Westchester and Rolling Hills. Opening games will be played at Torrance, Grant, Kennedy, L.A. Poly and Valley College. Finals will be the following weekend at Valley College.

Girls softball has 16 teams, four from the South Bay, playing opening games Saturday and Sunday at Valley College and finals the next weekend at Grant High.

Water Polo Events

Water polo competition at USC has 32 teams, including five from the South Bay.

Opening-round games with South Bay teams (all Saturday unless noted):

Football (at Torrance)--Carson vs. Narbonne and South Torrance vs. San Pedro, 9 a.m.; Palisades vs. West Torrance, 11 a.m.; Banning vs. Jefferson and Morningside vs. Locke, noon; Westchester vs. Mary Star, 1 p.m.; North Torrance vs. Katella and Palos Verdes vs. El Dorado, 2 p.m.; Gardena vs. Jordan, 3 p.m.

Boys basketball--Carson vs. Locke, 9 a.m. (at Birmingham). Whitney vs. Miraleste, 10 a.m.; Mira Costa vs. Gahr, 11 a.m.; San Pedro vs. L.A. Poly, 1 p.m.; Bishop Montgomery vs. Serra, 4 p.m. (at Hamilton). Chadwick vs. Rubidoux, noon; Leuzinger vs. Western, 2 p.m.; Palos Verdes vs. Cleveland, 4 p.m. (at Jordan). Westchester vs. Beverly Hills, 10 a.m.; Hawthorne vs. El Dorado, 11 a.m.; Gardena vs. Crescenta Valley, 3 p.m. (at Dorsey). South Torrance vs. L.A. Wilson, 2 p.m. (at Fremont). Morningside vs. Loyola, 9 a.m.; Redondo vs. Simi Valley, 11 a.m.; Barstow vs. Banning, noon; St. Bernard vs. La Serna, 1 p.m. (at Kennedy).

Girls basketball--Torrance vs. Costa Mesa, 9 a.m.; Banning vs. Jordan, 2 p.m. (at Torrance). Locke vs. Flintridge, 11 a.m.; San Pedro vs. Inglewood, 2 p.m.; Palos Verdes vs. Brea Linda, 4 p.m. (at Locke). Morningside vs. Ridgecrest Burroughs, 1 p.m. (at Manual Arts). Hawthorne vs. San Dimas, 9 a.m.; St. Mary’s vs. Western, 10 a.m. (at Hollywood).

Soccer (at Birmingham)--Santa Monica vs. Leuzinger, 9 a.m.; South Torrance vs. Loyola, 10 a.m.; West Torrance vs. Crespi, 10 a.m.; Redondo vs. Windward, 11 a.m.; North Torrance vs. Muir, 11 a.m.; Palos Verdes vs. Paramount, noon; Mira Costa vs. Ganesha, noon; Hawthorne vs. Franklin, 10 a.m. Sunday; Bishop Montgomery vs. Hollywood, 10 a.m. Sunday.

Girls volleyball--Pool 3: Inglewood, Culver City, Alemany, Burbank Burroughs, Montebello. Pool 4: Morningside, La Habra, Glendale, Thousand Oaks, South Gate. Pool 6: Carson, Alta Loma, Mission Viejo, Temple City, Saugus. Pool 7: Torrance, Saugus Canyon, Glenn, Lynwood, Bell. Pool 8: Hawthorne, San Gabriel, Flintridge, Holy Family, Hamilton (at Grant High and Valley College.)

Water Polo (at USC)--Mira Costa vs. Palos Verdes, 9 a.m.; Redondo vs. Santa Monica, 9 a.m.; El Segundo vs. La Puente, 11 p.m. Miraleste vs. San Marino, 4 p.m.

Girls softball (Valley)--West Torrance vs. Compton, 9:30 a.m.; Lakewood vs. El Segundo, 3:30 p.m.; Leuzinger vs. Village Christian, 9:30 a.m. Sunday; Mary Star vs. Hemet, 1:30 p.m. Sunday.