32 teams begin play in hoops tournament

Steve Cunningham

Friday, Dec. 26, 1997 | 10:26 a.m.

Tom Farnsworth realizes the Reebok Holiday Prep Classic is a tough act to follow.

That hasn't stopped the Las Vegas boys' basketball coach in his quest to offer the area another top-notch prep tournament. The third-annual Las Vegas Prep Championship gets underway today at two sites and 32 teams from Nevada, Arizona and California are entered in the event.

The Prep Championship might not be in the same league as the Reebok, said Farnsworth, but it ought to be an entertaining affair, nonetheless.

"(The Reebok Holiday Prep Classic) may be the best tournament in the country," Farnsworth said. "Ours is a step down, but every team is going to be competitive and everybody has a chance to win some games or maybe even compete for the title."

There were only six teams in the field in its inaugural showing; last year, it was expanded to 16 teams. The hosts, who took 10th at the Prep Classic last week, won the first two events and should be among the favorites once again.

"It's going to be hard to do it again," Farnsworth said. "We certainly feel like we have a chance. We think this is going to be a real fine event and a lot of fun."

Modesto Christian of California is one of the top teams in the tournament. Del Campo (Calif.), Shadow Mountain (Ariz.) and Serra (Calif.) are also considered among the teams to beat and undefeated Valley, coming off a successful tournament run at the McQueen Tournament in Reno last week, is in the field.

The host Wildcats open play at 8 tonight against Corona (Calif.); Valley meets Blair (Calif.) at 6:30 p.m. Rancho opens the tournament at 2 p.m. versus West Torrance (Calif.), Western tangles with Mira Loma (Calif.) at 5 p.m. and Cimarron-Memorial meets Shadow Mountain -- the alma mater of current Arizona star Mike Bibby -- at 6:30 p.m.

Cheyenne plays Serra at 2:10 p.m., Durango faces Pacific Hills (Calif.) at 3:40 p.m., Chaparral draws Marina (Ariz.) at 5:10 p.m. and Silverado plays Del Campo (Calif.) at 9:40 p.m.

Clark opens play against St. John Bosco (Calif.) at 5 p.m. and Eldorado takes on Hogan (Calif.) at 8 p.m.

The tournament will continue tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday, with the title game set for 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Games will be played in the main and auxiliary gyms at Las Vegas, and at the main gym at Eldorado.