Great Leap Forward for Wolverines? : High school basketball: Harvard-Westlake and Collins twins test their mettle tonight against national power Dunbar.

Matching their skills against one of the nation’s best, the Harvard-Westlake Wolverines meet Baltimore Dunbar tonight in a “Slam Dunk to the Beach” basketball tournament opener at Cape Henlopen High.

The event has attracted many top high school teams to the same gym to see how good they really are and to impress the 200 college coaches in the stands.

Among the players causing a buzz are Jason and Jarron Collins, the 6-foot-11 twins who led Harvard to a 29-3 record last season and its current No. 1 ranking in The Times’ regional poll.

Those honors will mean little to Dunbar (4-0), a perennial national power looking to win a fourth consecutive state championship. Forward Tommy Polley, 6-5, one of the nation’s top 50 seniors, is a deft passer who moves quickly up and down the court and dunks with ease.

That quickness is going to test Harvard, which intends to fight back with its size and strength inside.

And if the Wolverines get past Dunbar, which has sent Reggie Lewis, Buggsy Mogues and Reggie Williams to the NBA, there are other national powers waiting--including Philadelphia’s Simon Gratz and Roman Catholic and New York City’s Bishop Loughlin.

“Harvard is in the big leagues here,” tournament director Bob Jacobs said. “Everybody is excited about seeing the twins but unless that whole team plays their best it will be over before it begins.”

Harvard--emerging from another national tournament last week in Ft. Myers, Fla., with a 3-1 record--wants to leave town with the championship trophy. Coach Greg Hilliard says the Wolverines can pull it off--if their luck changes.

Just arriving at the tournament turned into a major ordeal. The team was delayed in North Carolina when its plane developed mechanical problems. Then there was a mixup when the team flew into Washington, D.C., but its bus was waiting in Baltimore.

The team finally arrived in town at 4 a.m. Wednesday.

Hilliard says his players will be well-rested by tonight’s 9:15 p.m. (EST) tipoff. The coach was busy Wednesday trying to find a practice court, since the team has been so busy traveling in recent days that there has been no time for dribbling.

“This is an elite level of players,” Hilliard said. “But we feel we can play with anybody. Give us a court to practice for a few hours, give us a few hours’ sleep and we’ll be ready.”

Looking sluggish yet eager, team members were anxious to test their abilities.

“Their tallest player is 6 feet 5,” said Jason Collins of Dunbar. “If we play our game, we should be able to handle them.”

His brother, Jarron, was just as confident.

“Nervous? Naw. I just want to start the game,” he said. “All this talking, this doesn’t mean anything. I just want the ball.”