PREP BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PREVIEW : Mater Dei Prepares for Orange Holiday

Mater Dei and Archbishop Riordan high schools, which met for the 1990 state Division I boys’ basketball title, are the top-seeded teams in the 26th Orange Holiday Tournament that begins Wednesday in Chapman College’s Hutton Sports Center.

Mater Dei defeated Riordan, 62-58, in the championship game in Oakland, but has lost all its starters to graduation. Mater Dei (6-3) started slowly but has won four of its past five games.

Capistrano Valley (9-2), which won the tournament in 1987, is seeded third. The Cougars finished third in the Trabuco Hills Tournament and won the Irvine World News Tournament.

Santa Clara, the defending state Division IV champion, is seeded fourth. Santa Clara was 28-0 last season and returns forwards Isaiah Mustafa and Chris Cole.

Among the top players competing in the 16-team field include guard Matt Tague (Carlsbad), center Jermaine Galloway (Kennedy), guard Josh Borella (Laguna Beach), guard Reggie Geary (Mater Dei), forward Rodney Glover (Riordan), forward Brett McCorkle (Capistrano Valley), guard K.J. Roberts (South Puget Sound) and forward Jason Register (Saddleback).

The championship game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Saturday. The first-round pairings:

Wednesday: 10 a.m.--Orange Lutheran vs. Orange; 11:40--Long Beach Wilson vs. Kennedy; 1:20 p.m.--San Diego Morse vs. Saddleback; 3--Santa Clara vs. Fountain Valley; 4:40--Carlsbad vs. Capistrano Valley; 6:20--Laguna Beach vs. Mater Dei; 8--Riordan vs. Sammamish (Wash.); 9:40--Bev Facey Composite vs. Kent Meridian (Wash.).

Tustin High School, the top-ranked team in the Orange County Sportswriters’ Assn. prep poll, is the favorite in the Coast Christmas Classic that begins Wednesday at Estancia High School in Costa Mesa.

Tustin (9-1) won the Trabuco Hills Tournament and finished fifth in the Tournament of Champions at Ocean View. Tustin’s top player, guard David Beilstein, did not suit up in the Tillers’ 62-51 loss to Long Beach Poly.

Host Estancia (9-1) is seeded second. Estancia won the Laguna Beach Tournament and was runner-up in the La Quinta Tournament, losing to Huntington Beach in the championship game.

Irvine (9-1) also is entered in the 16-team tournament. Irvine was the runner-up in the Daily Pilot Tipoff Classic and the Irvine World News Tournament.

Among the top players scheduled to compete are forward Clayton Thomas (Tustin), forward Mustapha Abdi (Huntington Beach), forward Johnny McWilliams (Pomona), forward Doug Hesse (Corona del Mar), forward Brandon Jessie (Edison), forward John Molle (Irvine), guard Derrick Walsh (Dana Hills) and forward Matt Fuerbringer (Estancia).

The championship game is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Saturday. The first-round pairings:

Wednesday: 9 a.m.--Tustin vs. Estancia JV; 10:40--Mission Viejo vs. Huntington Beach; 12:20 p.m.--Pomona vs. Laguna Hills; 2--Corona del Mar vs. Long Beach Jordan; 3:40--Edison vs. Glendale Hoover; 5:20--Banning vs. Irvine; 7--Estancia vs. Anchorage Service; 8:40--Righetti vs. Dana Hills.

Loara, with high-scoring guard Tes Whitlock, is the top-seeded team in the first Carl’s Jr. Century Holiday Classic beginning Wednesday at Century High School in Santa Ana.

Whitlock established a county record by scoring 68 points against Saddleback in a consolation game of the Irvine World News Tournament last week and scored 49 points earlier this season in a nonleague victory over Pacifica.

The championship game is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Saturday. The first-round pairings:

Wednesday: 9 a.m.--Western Christian vs. Los Amigos; 10:35--Buena Park vs. Southern California Christian; 12:10 p.m.--Westminster vs. El Modena; 1:45--Costa Mesa vs. Foothill; 3:20--Calvary Baptist vs. Century; 4:55--Newport Harbor vs. Garden Grove; 6:30--St. Paul vs. Loara; 8:05--Fullerton vs. Cypress.

Western High School, the only undefeated team in the county, is seeded second behind Long Beach Millikan in the Katella Klassic that begins Wednesday at Katella High School in Anaheim.

Western (8-0) has won the Garden Grove and Fullerton tournaments. The Pioneers are led by guards Tom Barraza and Steve Siefken.

Millikan won the Cerritos-Gahr Tournament and features two players who have signed letters of intent with Cal State Fullerton. Guard Pat Thacker has signed with the Titans’ basketball team and guard Dante Powell has signed with the baseball team.

Servite (10-1), the defending state Division III champion, is seeded third. S

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

Wednesday: 6:30 p.m.--Western vs. Bishop Montgomery; 8--Bell vs. Katella.

Thursday: 6:30--Konawana (Hawaii) vs. Long Beach Millikan; 8--Inglewood vs. Servite.

Santa Margarita, featuring Chris Hacker and Jeff Layne, is the favorite in the Pacifica Classic beginning Thursday at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove.

Hacker is a 6-foot-9 center and Layne is a 6-8 forward at Santa Margarita. Santa Margarita returns five starters, including all-Southern Section guard Dan Bathey.

The championship game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The first-round pairings:

Thursday: 3 p.m.--Santa Margarita vs. Miraleste; 4:30--Troy vs. Dos Pueblos; 6--Queen Elizabeth (Canada) vs. Pius X; 7:30--Magnolia vs. Pacifica.

Cerritos High School is the favorite in the Canyon Varsity Tournament beginning Wednesday at Canyon High School in Anaheim.

Cerritos (7-3) was runner-up in the Fullerton Tournament and features 6-8 forward Mark Flick, who has signed a letter of intent to attend UC Santa Barbara.

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

Wednesday: 9 a.m.--Bolsa Grande vs. Anaheim Canyon; 10:40--Santa Ana vs. Monrovia; 12:20 p.m.--Montebello vs. Cerritos; 2--South Bakersfield vs. Santa Clarita Canyon; 3:40--Venice vs. Anaheim; 5:20--Vista vs. Canyon del Oro (Ariz.); 7--Mountain View (Ariz.) vs. Ridgecrest Burroughs; 8:40--Tracy vs. Villa Park.