Crenshaw Opens Defense of L.A. Games Basketball Title

A 128-team boys basketball tournament, including 22 Valley-area teams, kicks off the 20th L.A. Games today that is expected to involve 10,000 Southern California high school athletes in 12 sports.

The basketball tournament, which features the 3-point shot for the first time, is spread out over 20 locations and concludes June 28 at El Camino College. Prime Ticket will televise the final.

Crenshaw, last year’s champion and winner of five of the last six titles, opens its defense against Mira Costa on Saturday at Crenshaw. Fairfax, the City Section 4-A champion, and 22 Valley-area teams are included in the 128-team field.

The girls basketball tournament involves 64 teams, including seven from the Valley and is played at four sites. Lynwood is the defending champion of the tournament, which also features the 3-point rule.

The Games are sponsored by the L.A. Junior Chamber of Commerce and formerly were called the L.A. Watts-Summer Games, which were instituted after the 1965 Watts riots to promote understanding among youths through athletics. Most venues are in the inner city and the finals in most sports are scheduled at El Camino College in Torrance. Competition opens today and runs this weekend and next, with the finals scheduled June 27-28.

Grant High is the site of an opening round in the baseball competition that features 32 teams, including Chatsworth, Alemany and Grant. Chatsworth, which advanced to the semifinals of the City Section 4-A playoffs, rates as a favorite to win the baseball title.

The first two rounds of the boys and girls soccer competition are scheduled for today and Sunday at the Granada Hills Recreation Center. The 32-team field in the boys division includes nine Valley-area teams, and Agoura enters the 16-team girls tournament as one of the favorites with Thousand Oaks. Hart is the other Valley entry in the tournament.

Crespi and running back Russell White attempt to dethrone Carson as L.A. Games champion in the 7-on-7 football competition, which begins at West Torrance. Crespi won the Big Five Conference championship last year.

Hart, the Northwestern conference champion, and Canyon, which advanced to the Coastal Conference semifinals last year, and eight other Valley teams are part of the 64-member field.

Grant, Thousand Oaks and Saugus will compete in a 12-team field in softball at El Camino College. Valley teams competing in the 32-team water polo competition at Redondo High and El Camino are Burroughs, Notre Dame, Burbank and Crespi.

Forty girls volleyball teams, including Alemany, Burroughs, Chatsworth and Royal, will compete at Redondo and West Torrance. Boys volleyball is scheduled at Redondo and West Torrance, but first-round pairings have yet to be announced. Individual competition will be held at El Camino College in swimming, tennis, wrestling and track and field.

Television sports broadcaster Jim Hill is the Games’ honorary commissioner. Admission to all events is free.