Orange County Roundup : Mater Dei Goes for 4th Orange Championship

Three-time defending champion Mater Dei High School is the top-seeded team in the Orange Tournament, which begins today in Chapman College’s Hutton Sports Center at Orange.

The Monarchs (6-0) won the Valencia Tournament. Dominguez (9-0) is the second-seeded team. The Dons defeated Ocean View in the the championship game of the Tournament of Champions last week.

The tournament features teams from 11 leagues, and the competition ranges from 1-A division Orange Lutheran to defending 5-A champion Mater Dei. The title game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Top players in the tournament include Ronnie Coleman (Dominguez), Duane Cooper (Lakewood) and LeRon Ellis (Mater Dei).

The first-round pairings:

9 a.m.--Dominguez vs. Orange Lutheran; 10:40--Westminster vs. Newport Harbor; 12:20 p.m.--Santa Clara vs. Fountain Valley; 2--Lakewood vs. El Modena; 3:30--Saddleback vs. Capistrano Valley; 5:10--Orange vs. Foothill; 6:50--Fullerton vs. Santa Ana; 8:30--Mater Dei vs. Dana Hills.

Katella and Centennial are the favorites in the Katella Klassic basketball tournament, which begins today in the Knights’ gymnasium.

Tournament host Katella won the Laguna Beach Tournament and was runner-up in the Sonora-Sunny Hills Tournament. Centennial was runner-up in the Bishop Amat Tournament, losing to San Gorgonio in the title game in double-overtime.

Featured players scheduled to compete include Trent Allen (Centennial), Richard Lucas (Katella), Chuck Powell (Western), Randy Morales (Rancho Alamitos) and Tony Smalley (Servite).

The championship game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday. The first-round pairings:

Today: 6:30 p.m.--Western vs. Gahr; 8--Rancho Alamitos vs. Katella.

Saturday: 6:30 p.m.--Centennial vs. L.B. Millikan; 8--Servite vs. Los Amigos.

Surprising Trabuco Hills (7-1), in only its second year, is the favorite in the Canyon Tournament, which begins today.

The eight-team tournament has first-round games today and Saturday with the championship game scheduled for 7:30 on Tuesday. The first-round pairings:

Today: 5:45 p.m.--Esperanza vs. Trabuco Hills; 7:30--Villa Park vs. La Mirada.

Saturday: 5:45 p.m.--Anaheim vs. Apple Valley; 7:30--Sierra Vista vs. Canyon.

South Coast League members El Toro, Mission Viejo and Irvine are among the top-seeded teams in the second South Coast Christmas Classic basketball tournament, which begins today at Estancia High School at Costa Mesa.

El Toro, led by point guard Bret Johnson and power forward Cory Wayland, is the top-seeded team. Mission Viejo is third and Irvine fourth. Corona del Mar, runner-up in the Laguna Beach and Irvine World News tournaments, is seeded second. Corona del Mar finished second in the tournament last year.

Top players scheduled to compete include Sean Rooks (Fontana), Brian Tift (Estancia), Jeff Herdman (Mission Viejo), Mike Henderson (Edison), Mike Herring (Irvine) and Markus Muller-Stach (Corona del Mar).

The championship game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday. The first-round pairings:

9 a.m.--Santa Ana Valley vs. Corona del Mar; 10:40--Edison vs. Cypress; 12:20 p.m.--Hoover vs. Fontana; 2 p.m.--Laguna Hills vs. Mission Viejo; 3:40--Irvine vs. L.B. Jordan; 5:20--University vs. Huntington Beach; 7--Sonora vs. Estancia; 8:40--El Toro vs. Iolani (Hawaii).

Whittier Christian, runner-up in the Southern Section 1-A division last year, is the top-seeded team in the Brea-Olinda basketball tournament, which begins today.

The Heralds were 26-1 last season and return four starters, including brothers Chris and Erik Martin. The tournament also features Hacienda Heights Wilson, the Southern Section’s defending 3-A division champion.

The top player in the tournament is Pomona forward Tank Collins, who tied former Mater Dei star Tom Lewis’ four-game tournament scoring record with 122 points in the Tournament of Champions last week.

The championship game is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. Tuesday. The first-round pairings:

Today: 6:30 p.m.--Sunny Hills vs. HH Wilson; 8:15--Brea-Olinda vs. Pomona.

Saturday: 6:30 p.m.--El Dorado vs. La Habra; 8:15--Whittier Christian vs. Glendora.

Woodbridge and La Quinta are the Orange County representatives in the Las Vegas Holiday Prep Classic basketball tournament, which begins today at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

The 28-team tournament features schools from 11 states, including national powers Oak Hill High of Virginia and St. Maria Goretti of Maryland. St. Maria Goretti features Rodney Monroe, rated as one of the country’s best guards.

Games will be played in UNLV’s north and south gymnasiums. The championship game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The first-round pairings:

South Gymnasium: 11 a.m.--Monta Vista (Cupertino, Calif.) vs. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas); 12:30 p.m.--Blanchet (Seattle) vs. Bonanza (Las Vegas); 2--Doss (Louisville) vs. Auburn (Alabama); 3:45--Kennedy (Seattle) vs. Rolling Hills; 5:15--Oak Hill (Virginia) vs. Jefferson (Los Angeles); 6:45--Woodbridge vs. Carson City (Nevada).

North Gymnasium: 11 a.m.--Bethel Park (Pennsylvania) vs. Las Vegas; 12:30 p.m.--La Quinta vs. Perry (Pittsburgh); 2--St. Maria Goretti (Maryland) vs. Valley (Las Vegas); 3:45--DeLaSalle (New Orleans) vs. Pius X (Downey); 5:15--Manual Arts (Los Angeles) vs. Serra (Gardena); 6:45--Lemoore (Lemoore, Calif.) vs. Rancho (Las Vegas).

Scott Magers, a former USC baseball player, has been named baseball coach at Laguna Beach High School. He replaces Tom Trager, who resigned after one season because of outside obligations.

West Coast University of Orange is playing host to a 50-mile run Saturday at 6:30 a.m. at Mile Square Park in Huntington Beach.

There is a 12-hour time limit on the race, which is also the Southern California district championship for The Athletic Congress.