PREP BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS : Marina Top-Seeded at Irvine; Cerritos, Western Co-Favorites at Fullerton

Marina High School, led by All-American center Cherokee Parks, is the top-seeded team in the Irvine World News basketball tournament that begins Tuesday ) at three high schools.

Marina (3-3) has struggled in the opening three weeks of the season but was runner-up to Tustin in the Trabuco Hills tournament.

Capistrano Valley (5-1) is seeded second in the tournament and Irvine (6-0) third. Capistrano Valley features center Brett McCorkle and guard Tom Airey.

Irvine is led by forward John Molle, who is averaging 33.2 points. Irvine won the Daily Pilot Tipoff Classic at Newport Harbor two weeks ago.

Loara guard Tes Whitlock, the county’s leading scorer, will also compete in the Irvine tournament. Whitlock scored 117 points in three games last week in the Tournament of Champions at Ocean View.

Other top players competing include center Darren Galloway (Kennedy), guard Joe Foss (Esperanza), forward Chauncy Woolridge (Santa Ana), forward Doug Hesse (Corona del Mar) and forward Brandon Jessie (Edison).

The championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Christ College Irvine. Tuesday’s first-round pairings:

At Irvine: 4:30 p.m.--Kennedy vs. Mission Viejo; 6--Marina vs. Saddleback; 7:30--Brea-Olinda vs. Irvine.

At University: 6 p.m.--Santa Ana vs. Corona del Mar; 7:30--Esperanza vs. University.

At Woodbridge: 4:30--Edison vs. Loara; 6--Capistrano Valley vs. Savanna; 7:30--Orange Lutheran vs. Woodbridge.

Cerritos and Western high schools are co-favorites in the seventh Fullerton Classic that begins Tuesday at Fullerton High School.

Cerritos, the defending tournament champion, features 6-foot-8 center Mark Flick. Western (5-0) is one of two undefeated teams in the county.

Western has a balanced attack in guard Tom Barraza (15.8 points), guard Chris Jackson (15.8) and forward Steve Siefken (14.2). Jackson is shooting 62% from the field.

Other top players competing in the eight-team tournament include guard Mark Perry (Garden Grove), forward Angel Barrios (Buena Park) and guard Chris Hartshorne (Fullerton).

The championship game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday. The first-round pairings:

Tuesday: 6 p.m.--Los Amigos vs. Cerritos; 7:30--Buena Park vs. La Mirada.

Wednesday: 6--Sonora vs. Western; 7:30--Garden Grove vs. Fullerton.

Four county schools--San Clemente, Dana Hills, Trabuco Hills and Newport Harbor--are entered in the San Dieguito tournament that begins Wednesday at three sites in north San Diego County.

In the most interesting matchup of the first round, San Clemente and 6-7 center Eddie Morgan will open against perennial power Las Vegas Western.

The championship game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The first-round pairings:

At Torrey Pines: 6 p.m.--Escondido vs. Rancho Buena Vista; 7:30--De LaSalle vs. Torrey Pines.

At Carlsbad: 6 p.m.--Las Vegas Western vs. San Clemente; 7:30--Dana Hills vs. Carlsbad.

At San Dieguito: 3--Trabuco Hills vs. Vista; 4:45--Fallbrook vs. West Anchorage; 6:30--Newport Harbor vs. Oceanside; 8:15--San Dieguito vs. Orange Glen.