Basketball Season Gets Underway : Athletics: Some early matchups and tournaments are worth noting.

There’s still a couple rounds of high school football playoffs remaining, but that won’t stop the winter sports from beginning their seasons today.

For the next few weeks, tournaments dominate the nonleague boys’ and girls’ basketball schedules.

In boys’ action tonight, the National Sports Grill tournament features Trabuco Hills (19-10 last season) against Sunny Hills (8-18) at 6 p.m. at Cypress High. Host Cypress (21-6) plays El Modena (13-11) at 7:30 p.m.

In the other bracket of the tournament, Capistrano Valley (15-12) meets Savanna (14-10) at 6 p.m. at Loara High and Servite (18-9) plays at Loara (9-16) at 7:30 p.m.

Woodbridge (20-10), expected to be one of the county’s top teams with standout center Chris Burgess, opens Tuesday in the National Sports Grill tournament against Pacifica (16-12) at Cypress High at 7:30 p.m.

The other boys’ tournament beginning today is the Elks Coyote Classic at Buena Park High. Tournaments starting Tuesday include the Brea Olinda Backyard Bash, the Mission Viejo tournament and the Tip-off Classic, played at Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar highs.

The Orange Lutheran tournament begins Wednesday.

All tournament finals are set for Saturday.

Mater Dei, the State Division I champion, begins its season Dec. 8 against Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy in the Nike Extravaganza at the Bren Center.

Tuesday has some terrific pairings among the girls’ basketball games scheduled.

The best features Fountain Valley (22-7 last year), expected to be one of the top five teams in the county with forwards Nicole Strange and Jennifer Ludwicki, playing host to Ocean View (21-8), which has five starters returning.

Another top-10 team, San Clemente (17-11), plays at Laguna Hills (17-8), which should battle for the Pacific Coast League title and features the county’s tallest player, 6-foot-5 Tayyiba Haneef.

For sheer emotion, El Dorado plays host to Fullerton (14-12). The Golden Hawks, 20-6 last year, are playing their first game since the Sept. 7 death of 29-year-old Coach Gary Raya. Tara Brown makes her debut as the Hawks’ coach.

The week ends with the Woodbridge Tip-Off Classic, where defending State Division II champion Woodbridge (33-1) plays host to San Clemente. It will mark Pat Quinn’s first game as head coach after the resignation of Eric Bangs, who had a 296-69 career record.

The Woodbridge tournament will feature some of the best matchups of the year: Fountain Valley-San Clemente on Dec. 4 and Woodbridge-Fountain Valley on Dec. 6.

On Saturday, the Irvine tournament begins for boys’ and girls’ soccer teams and the season’s first wrestling tournaments take place at Aliso Niguel and Trabuco Hills highs.