PREP BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS : Monarchs Favorite at Trabuco Hills

Mater Dei, with four returning starters, is the top-seeded team in the Trabuco Hills High School boys’ basketball tournament beginning today in Trabuco Hills’ gymnasium.

Mater Dei features guard Reggie Geary and center Terrence Wilborn. Other top county players scheduled to compete in the 16-team tournament are guard Tom Airey (Capistrano Valley), guard Gentry Moore (Tustin), forward Jason Cunningham (Los Alamitos), forward Brandon Jessie (Edison) and center Gavin Vanderputten (Trabuco Hills).

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

Today: 2:20 p.m.--Lynwood vs. Mission Viejo; 4--Muir vs. Long Beach Poly; 5:40--J.W. North vs. University; 7:20--Capistrano Valley vs. Esperanza; 9--Tustin vs. Carlsbad.

Tuesday: 5:40 p.m.--Long Beach Jordan vs. Los Alamitos; 7:20--Edison vs. Trabuco Hills; 9--Mater Dei vs. Chino.

Huntington Beach, with four returning starters, is the top-seeded team in the Daily Pilot Tip-off Classic scheduled to begin Tuesday at two sites.

Huntington Beach was the tri-champion of the Sunset League last year with Marina and Edison and returns guards Bryan Chang and Tommy Walden and forwards Jeff Vanderwal and Matt Ambrose.

Games will be played at Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor high schools. The championship game is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Saturday at Corona del Mar. The first-round pairings:

Tuesday at Newport Harbor: 6 p.m.--El Toro vs. Marina; 7:40--Estancia vs. Bellflower; at Corona del Mar: 6--Foothill vs. Brea-Olinda; 7:40--Irvine vs. La Quinta.

Wednesday at Newport Harbor: 6 p.m.--San Pasqual vs. Torrance; 7:40--Santa Ana Valley vs. Newport Harbor; at Corona del Mar: 6--San Dieguito vs. Corona del Mar; 7:40--Sonora vs. Huntington Beach.

Defending Southern Section Division III-A champion Servite is the favorite to win its second consecutive Valencia Tournament beginning Monday in Valencia High’s gymnasium.

Servite returns all-Southern Section guards Adam Anderson and Eddie Rubio.

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

Monday: 3:15 p.m.--El Modena vs. Warren; 4:45--Troy vs. Cypress; 6:15--Rancho Alamitos vs. Servite; 7:45--Valencia vs. Katella.

Century, with its first senior class, is the favorite to win the Lancer Pride Invitational beginning Thursday (12-5) in Orange Lutheran High’s gymnasium.

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

Thursday: 3 p.m.--Orange vs. South Bay Lutheran; 4:45--Anaheim vs. Villa Park; 6:30--Santiago vs. Loara; 8:15--Century vs. Orange Lutheran.

Sunny Hills, featuring two-time all-Freeway League forward Terry Mann, is the favorite to win the first Savanna Tournament scheduled to begin Tuesday in Savanna High’s gymnasium.

The tournament has only six varsity teams entered. The championship game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Saturday. The first-round pairings:

Tuesday: 6 p.m.--Kennedy JV vs. Sunny Hills; 8--Westminster vs. West Torrance.

Wednesday: 6 p.m.--Sunny Hills JV vs. Canyon; 8--Whitney vs. Savanna.

Kennedy, featuring 6-foot-9 forward Jermaine Galloway, is among the entries in the Cerritos-Gahr Tournament scheduled to begin Tuesday at two sites.

Other county schools entered in the 16-team tournament are Santa Margarita and Fountain Valley. Games will be played at Gahr and Cerritos gymnasiums.

The first-round pairings:

Tuesday at Gahr: 6 p.m.--Centennial vs. LB Wilson; 7:30--Pioneer vs. Gahr; at Cerritos: 6--Pius X vs. Banning; 7:30--La Mirada vs. Cerritos.

Wednesday at Gahr: 6 p.m.--Chaffey vs. El Rancho; 7:30--Kennedy vs. Santa Margarita; at Cerritos: 6--Santa Fe vs. Paramount; 7:30--LB Millikan vs. Fountain Valley.

Western is the top-seeded team in the 26th Garden Grove Tournament scheduled to begin Tuesday in Garden Grove High’s gymnasium.

The championship game of the eight-team tournament is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday. The first-round pairings:

Tuesday: 6:30 p.m.--Magnolia vs. Bolsa Grande; 8--Garden Grove vs. Fullerton.

Wednesday: 6:30 p.m.--Pacifica vs. Western; 8--Buena Park vs. Laguna Hills.