A Powerhouse Semifinal Foursome

Four of the Southland’s top boys’ basketball teams are scheduled to play in back-to-back semifinal games tonight in the Tournament of Champions at Huntington Beach Ocean View High.

Long Beach Poly, ranked No. 6 by The Times, will play No. 7 Compton Dominguez at 6:30 p.m., followed by No. 2 Santa Ana Mater Dei against No. 12 Ocean View at approximately 8 p.m.

Poly is 2-0 after defeating No. 14 Los Angeles Verbum Dei and Victorville Silverado in pool play.

Dominguez (6-1) opened the season at the Lone Star Invitational in San Antonio, defeating Ocean View in the consolation final. The Dons reached the semifinals by defeating Gardena Serra and No. 17 Los Angeles Loyola.

Mater Dei (4-1) traveled last weekend, losing Saturday night to Peoria (Ill.) Central, 70-62, in Benton, Ky. Peoria Central was ranked No. 8 in the preseason by USA Today; Mater Dei was No. 2.

Ocean View co-Coach Jim Harris, who is six wins shy of 500 for his career, expects the game to feature a contrast of styles.

“They’re bigger, but I think we’re a little quicker,” he said. “Both teams are trying to develop their depth a little more.”

-- Dan Arritt

The Southern Section Division I championship football game between Loyola and Long Beach Poly will be televised live by Channel 9 beginning at 7:30 p.m. today from the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Fox Sports Net will televise the Division II title game between Mission Viejo and Newhall Hart beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, also from the Home Depot Center.

Tickets for the football tripleheader Saturday at the Home Depot Center are $12 for adults, $5 for students with identification and $5 for children under 12.

One ticket is good for all three Southern Section championship games: Noon -- Sherman Oaks Notre Dame vs. Palmdale in Division III; 3:30 p.m. -- Orange Lutheran vs. Hacienda Heights Los Altos in Division VI; 7:30 p.m. -- Mission Viejo vs. Newhall Hart in Division II.

Mohamed Trafeh of Duarte, Mark Matusak of Loyola, Lindsay Flacks of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake and Liza Pasciuto of Murrieta Valley will run in the national cross-country championships at Morley Field in San Diego on Saturday.

Trafeh and Pasciuto will be running in the national championships for the second time; Flacks and Matusak will be making their first appearances in the meet that features the top eight boys’ and girls’ finishers from the West, Midwest, Northeast and South region championships. Matusak is a junior and the other three are seniors.

The girls’ race will start at 9 a.m., the boys’ race at 10:15.

-- John Ortega

A pre-trial hearing for Glenn Thompkins, the former Rialto Eisenhower football coach, has been continued until Wednesday.

Thompkins is charged with five counts of statutory rape, five counts of unlawful sexual penetration and one count of dissuading a witness, charges that carry a maximum prison term of 9 years 8 months.

-- Martin Henderson