HUNTINGTON BEACH : 2 Teams Advance to 3-on-3 Competition

The Southern California playoffs of the world’s largest amateur basketball tournament raised thousands of dollars for various charities as well as funds to refurbish the Huntington Beach Pier.

About 1,320 people competed during the Saturday and Sunday playoffs of the Hoop-It-Up National 3-on-3 tour. The games, sponsored by The Times Orange County Edition, Pizza Hut and Diet Pepsi, give part of each team’s $75 entry fee to benefit the Huntington Beach Pier and Los Angeles Times charities.

Winner of the top-level men’s division was the L.A. Bombers team from Inglewood. A San Pedro team, the Professional Women, took the top women’s title, said spokeswoman Lynne Gray.

The two teams will advance to the national finals in Austin, Tex., next year.

The Southern California playoffs, held in a parking lot next to the Waterfront Hilton in Huntington Beach, saw four-player teams--which included one person in reserve--competing for 28 division titles, Gray said.

The half-court games were played 3-on-3 according to “street-ball rules,” like an informal pickup game in which the players call their own fouls, Gray said.