High school basketball tournaments tip off with quality teams converging

From “the biggest little basketball tournament in the world” to state champion-caliber teams, high school hoops fans have a bounty of games to watch this week.

As the prep Redwood Empire basketball preseason gets under way, teams from Sonoma County, throughout the Bay Area and even north of the border will face off in invitational tournaments with schools they would never ordinarily see during the regular season.

The 58th annual Redwood Classic boys tournament begins Wednesday in Boonville, drawing 16 teams from small schools throughout the greater Bay Area and as far north as Tulelake, just south of the Oregon border.

A day later, the Cardinal Newman girls host their eight-team tournament. The Cardinal Newman Classic welcomes teams from Oregon, Colorado, the Bay Area and Santa Rosa.

The Redwood Classic is the oldest and largest small-school tournament in California, said student tournament director Rosie Guerrero.

It will fill the Anderson Valley High School gym with “back-to-back-to-back” games from Wednesday at 4 p.m. through Saturday’s 9 p.m. championship, said Robert Pinoli, Anderson Valley’s athletic director.

“We’ll have three games Wednesday, five on Thursday, eight on Friday and nine on Saturday,” he said.

In addition to the hosts, teams include Cloverdale, Laytonville, Round Valley, Valley Christian, Tomales, Hoopa, Stuart Hall, Saint Elizabeth, Bentley, California School for the Deaf, Branson, Tulelake, Pinewood, Head Royce and Liberty Christian.

Stuart Hall, from San Francisco, begins its season carrying the banner of the Division 5 North Coast Section championship and a 30-4 record last season. The Knights lost in the state regional semifinals.

Other tough competitors will be Liberty Christian of Redwood (24-8 last season), Oakland’s Head Royce (19-8) and Pinewood of Los Altos Hills (18-9.)

“We have a waiting list to get into our tournament,” Pinoli said. “We have teams that go for the state final year after year. It’s important for other schools to see that caliber of basketball.”

Stuart Hall beat Branson, 62-49, in last year’s tournament championship game.

“There were some really close games last year,” Pinoli said. “After the first two days, you see the not-as-strong-teams go to the consolation (bracket) and stronger teams move on, and battles start in both directions. It’s good competition for all levels.”

Started in 1958 as a showcase for Anderson Valley’s new gymnasium, the Redwood Classic has in the past attracted schools from as far away as South Carolina. It is a huge event in Boonville. Until about 2005, town residents even helped house the teams that came from far away.

“We have a waiting list of schools that would like to be in our tournament,” Pinoli said.

In the girls tourney, Cardinal Newman hopes to avenge last year’s championship game loss to Oregon City, which has been nationally ranked and has a strong basketball tradition.

The Pioneers defeated the Cardinals 62-53 in the inaugural Newman tournament’s final. They return this year after posting a 25-3 record last season, 15-0 in their league, and ranking among Oregon’s top schools.

Also tough will be Regis Jesuit of Aurora, Colo., which is also ranked among the state’s toughest schools.

Piedmont, Sacred Heart of San Francisco, Oakland High and Santa Rosa High are the others, which will play beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. “It’s great competition,” Cardinals coach Monica Mertle said. “And it’s exciting to have teams from all over Northern California and even out of state. It’s great for the area and great for girls basketball.”

Newman opens against Menlo at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The tournament runs through Saturday, with the championship game set for 4:30 p.m.

“The biggest thing for us at this point in the season is to play quality competition,” Mertle said. “Our preseason schedule is tough. Ultimately, we want to prepare for playoffs.”

You can reach Lori A. Carter at 521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.