Basketball Tournament Draws the Best

Some of the state’s finest boys’ basketball teams and players will gather at Cal State Fullerton Saturday for the Nike Extravaganza.

The first of eight games begins at 10 a.m. and the final contest features the top-ranked team in the nation.

Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today, plays at 9 p.m. against Compton Dominguez and 7-foot-1 sophomore center Tyson Chandler. Dominguez is ranked 10th.

Mater Dei plays Oakland Bishop O’Dowd at 7:30 p.m.

Forward Jason Kapono, one of the state’s top recruits, leads Lakewood Artesia, ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section Division I-AA, against fourth-ranked Capistrano Valley at 4:30 p.m.

Stanford-bound guard Casey Jacobsen and Glendora, top-ranked in Division I-A, plays Troy at 6 p.m.

The early session is highlighted by a 2:30 p.m. game between Los Angeles Crenshaw, an eight-time state champion, and Ocean View, the defending Southern Section Division III-AA champion.

The other early games feature Tustin vs. Upland at 10 a.m., Santa Margarita vs. Servite at 11:30 a.m. and Villa Park vs. Long Beach Poly at 1 p.m.

Tickets are $8 for the early session and $8-12 for the evening session.

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The Nike Extravaganza contest isn’t the most important game this week for the Mater Dei boys’ basketball team. Mater Dei, ranked No. 1 in Orange County, hosts second-ranked Capistrano Valley at the Bren Center Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in a crucial South Coast League game.

In their first league meeting, Cedric Bozeman and Steve Scoggin each scored 18 points to help Mater Dei win in double overtime, 78-74.

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In girls’ basketball, the county’s best matchup feature El Toro, ranked fourth, playing at top-ranked Brea Olinda at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

El Toro, which features high-scoring sisters Giuliana and Gioconda Mendiola, is ranked second in the Southern Section Division I-AA. Junior Chelsea Trotter leads Brea Olinda, which is top-ranked in Division II-AA.

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The Southern Section girls’ water polo playoffs are two weeks away, but this week’s Irvine Southern California Championships will feature competition that figures to be just as fierce.

The 32-team field, which includes all of Orange County’s top 10 except second-ranked Villa Park, will play at Corona del Mar, El Toro, and the two pools at Heritage Park in Irvine.

Long Beach Wilson, the defending tournament champion, San Diego Section power Coronado, Irvine and Newport Harbor are the top-seeded teams for the four pools.

Play begins Thursday and the final is Saturday at Heritage Park at 3:30 p.m., with the semifinals also Saturday at 10 and 11 a.m. at Heritage Park.

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Orange County’s releaguing proposal wasn’t officially approved until last week, but that didn’t mean the county’s Catholic schools weren’t already busy planning for the fall.

That’s when Santa Margarita, Mater Dei, Servite/Rosary and Bellflower St. John Bosco/Lakewood St. Joseph will begin play in the Catholic Athletic Assn.

But Santa Margarita still plans to keep some old Sea View League opponents on its schedule, Athletic Director Rich Schaaf said.

“We’re fortunate that we’ve had a good relationship with the Sea View League.” Schaaf said. “[For football next season] Corona del Mar and Woodbridge have already expressed interest.”

Schaaf added that since there will be only three league games, Santa Margarita will most likely fill out the second half of its football schedule with two nonleague games against schools from another CAA league, the Del Rey (Mission Hills Alemany, La Puente Bishop Amat, Los Angeles Loyola, Santa Fe Springs St. Paul).

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The girls’ cross-country team from Irvine High was ranked seventh in the nation in the final Foot Locker/Adidas Super 25 prep rankings.

The Vaqueros, coached by Randy Rossi and paced by junior Valerie Morris (15th at the state finals), won the state Division I title in Fresno last November.

Esperanza, coached by Rich Medellin, finished second to Irvine at the state finals. The Aztecs, who were led by senior Pam Smith, were ranked 18th nationally. Campbell County High of Gillette, Wyo., was ranked No. 1.

The Santa Ana boys’ team, which finished second by one point to Long Beach Poly at the state finals, was ranked 13th in the nation. The Saints are coached by Darel Newman and feature senior Alfonso Leon, who was the Times Orange County boys’ cross-country runner of the year.

Katella, led by Mike Cochrane, the Times Orange County’s boys’ coach of the year, received honorable mention in the Super 25 rankings. Mountain View High of Orem, Utah, grabbed the top ranking among the boys’ teams.

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Staff writer Bob Rohwer contributed to this report.