Edison Tournament Features Strong Field

The place to be this week for girls’ basketball is Edison High’s gym, where the first Orange County Championship tournament is being held.

Seven of the field’s eight teams are ranked in the county’s top 10, and the eighth, Laguna Hills, has beaten No. 6 El Toro and nearly upset No. 4 San Clemente.

With a pool-play format matching the eight defending league champions, there’s no shortage of outstanding games. San Clemente, No. 5 Troy, No. 7 Edison and No. 10 Rosary are in one pool, and No. 2 Mater Dei, No. 4 Foothill, El Toro and Laguna Hills are in the other.

Games begin today and the championship is 8 p.m. Thursday.

The Marina tournament also begins today, though it’s missing many teams that opted for the Edison tournament. The Costa Mesa tournament, Santiago tournament and Orangewood Academy tournament also begin today and conclude Thursday.

Ninth-ranked Esperanza, which reached the large-school final at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, plays in the Chino Hills Ayala tournament. Eighth-ranked Irvine, unbeaten this season, plays in the Cerritos Gahr tournament.