This Tournament Is a Tough One

It’s common for a team hosting a basketball tournament to give itself the easiest draw. But that isn’t the case this week in the Bill Mulligan Classic at Irvine Valley.

The tournament, which starts Thursday, has one of the best fields of any tournament this year. Ventura, the two-time defending state champion, Long Beach, which won the title in 1994, and Cerritos, which won in 1992, are in the tournament.

Riverside, which has lost to Ventura in the state semifinals the last two seasons, is also in the field.

In the first round: Riverside meets Southwestern at 2 p.m.; Cerritos and West Los Angeles play at 4 p.m.; Mt. San Jacinto and Ventura meet at 6 p.m. and Long Beach and Irvine Valley play at 8 p.m.

The tournament continues Friday with the semifinals at 6 and 8 p.m. The title game is at 7 p.m. Saturday.

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Football rankings: Saddleback (10-0), which beat Riverside, 17-14, in its regular-season finale Saturday, is No. 1 in the Southland poll.

Los Angeles Valley (8-1) is second, Bakersfield (8-1) third, Hancock (8-1) fourth, Long Beach (7-2) fifth, San Bernardino Valley (8-1) sixth, Mt. San Antonio (7-2) seventh, Grossmont (8-1) eighth, Chaffey (8-1) ninth and Cerritos (7-2) 10th.