Boys’ basketball: Mater Dei and Westchester heading to Florida

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

If the first three weeks of the 2008-09 basketball season has shown us anything, it’s that all the buzz surrounding Mater Dei and Westchester has been warranted. Both teams have dominated tournament play, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they met up in the Southern California regional championships this March.

Of course, we might get an early teaser if Mater Dei and Westchester -- ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, by The Times -- manage to make it to the finals of the City of Palms Classic in Fort Meyers, Fla., on Tuesday.

The City of Palms Classic is considered one of the top prep tourneys in the nation, and it should provide the Monarchs and Comets their first encounter with top-notch competition. In fact, six of the top 17 teams in the nation, according to USA Today, are playing.

So be sure to visit the tournament website for scores and updates once the teams hit the floor on Friday afternoon. By the way, the final will be aired by ESPNU at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

-- Austin Knoblauch