PREP BASKETBALL : Mater Dei, Crenshaw Could Meet

The stage is set for a possible showdown between boys’ basketball powers Santa Ana Mater Dei and Crenshaw on Saturday night at the Sports Arena.

Pairings were released Sunday for the State tournament’s Southern Regional. As expected, Mater Dei was seeded No. 1 in Division I.

The Monarchs, Southern Section Division I-A champions, open the tournament on Tuesday against Poway. Second-seeded Crenshaw (24-2), the City 4-A champion, opens against Simi Valley.

Boys’ and girls’ semifinals in all five divisions will be Thursday night and the finals will be Saturday. The finals in divisions I, II and III will be at the Sports Arena, and IV and V will be at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Winners will play their Northern Regional counterparts in the State tournament March 19-20 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

Mater Dei, which lost to Alameda St. Joseph in the State final last year, won championships in 1987 and ’90. Crenshaw has won four State titles, the last in 1989.

Only one City boys’ team qualified. Because the City put all of its top quality teams in 4-A, the 3-A champion was not guaranteed a berth.