For many of the county’s girls basketball coaches, the final week of 2016 is about readying their team for league play, which starts in January.
A good place to get in those final tune-up games is the Larry Doyle/Dan Wiley O.C. Tournament of Champions, which is filled with talented teams.
The 16-team showcase began Monday morning and will run through Thursday night. The championship game will be at Edison High at 7:30 p.m.
Orange Lutheran, Aliso Niguel, Edison and Sonora headline the list of local favorites. Also in the tournament are Long Beach Millikan and Warren of Downey.
Orange Lutheran and Sonora played in the CIF-SS Division 3AA championship game in March, and, based on their spots in the brackets, they could meet again in the tournament’s final Thursday night.
ROAD TRIPS GALORE
Some of the county teams will be racking up the frequent flyer miles this week as they hit the road for tournaments throughout the country.
For the second time in three seasons, Esperanza has ventured out to one of Alaska’s southernmost cities to partake in the Ketchikan Tournament. Brea Olinda stayed in-state for the West Coast Jamboree, but the largest girls hoops tournament in the country is annually held up north in Concord.
Santa Margarita headed off to Las Vegas on Monday morning and will open play in the Gator Classic on Tuesday night.
Troy, which is coming off an impressive championship run in last week’s Gahr High Tournament, is headed to Florida for the Naples Holiday Shootout. The national invitational will pit the Warriors against Sacred Heart of Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon.
Senior star Kianna Smith is amongst the county scoring leaders, averaging just shy of 22 points a game. She scored 23 a game in the Gahr Tournament.
NOTES
• Pacifica came in second place in last week’s Lady Spartans Winter Shootout. The Mariners went 3-0 in pool play, topping Villa Park, Newport Harbor and San Juan Hills by double-digit margins before falling in the championship final against Valley Christian of Cerritos, 60-50. The Mariners are off to a 12-2 start. They were 8-19 just a season ago.
• Orange Lutheran finished in third place in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions last week. The Lancers lost to the eventual champ, Ventura, in the semifinals but bounced back with an overtime victory over Bishop Montgomery, 60-55. Los Alamitos finished in fifth place in the same tournament.
• Garden Grove is hosting its Winter Classic tournament this week. Corona del Mar, Orange, Villa Park, El Modena, Kennedy, Canyon and the host Argonauts are amongst the local teams competing.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@scng.com
