__________________
______________________________
__________________
______________________________
By Loren Kopff
@LorenKopff on Twitter
Now that the deluge of the December tournaments plus nearly every non-league game has been played, it’s time to begin league action as the seven area teams have anywhere from eight to 13 games remaining in the regular season, which will take place over the next five weeks. A lot are already keying in on a spot in next month’s California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section divisional; playoffs. Here’s what has happened up to now and what is on the immediate horizon for the upcoming week.
ARTESIA
It’s been a very long time since both varsity basketball teams entered January with winning records. The boys, who claimed the consolation championship of the Rancho Alamitos following a 65-44 win against Loara High last Saturday, are 11-4 overall and 1-0 in the Suburban League. This will be the fifth straight season that the Pioneers will have double digits in victories and need four more to match last season’s total. The girls, who at point won seven straight games, are 8-5 overall and 0-1 in league. The team is already two wins better than last season’s output and have won more than nine games in any one season just once in the past nine seasons.
The boys soccer team went 1-2-1 in the North Orange County Championships to see its mark fall to 9-4-1 overall. The mini slide followed a stretch of three games in which the Pioneers outscored their opponents 15-1, including a 6-0 league opening win against Bellflower High. The girls faced St. Joseph High this past Tuesday and were 3-6-1 overall, 0-1 in league entering that contest. The basketball and girls soccer teams will visit Cerritos High tonight and Norwalk High on Wednesday with boys soccer hosting those two teams.
CERRITOS
Both basketball teams are hot right now as they entered January with identical 10-4 overall records and having won their league openers at La Mirada High back on Dec. 20. The boys recently won the Mt. Carmel Tournament, which included back to back double overtime victories against Chaparral High and Downey High, then edged Downey 55-53 this past Tuesday at the Staples Center to improve to 11-4. The girls, who last played in the Larry Doyle/Dan Wiley Tournament, took home the consolation championship by knocking off Warren High 52-37 last Friday.
The boys soccer team has struggled all season, posting a 2-10 overall mark, scoring eight goals and getting blanked six times. The two wins have come in tournament action. The girls are 4-6-1 overall and 0-1 in league action. Since blasting Gahr High 7-0 on Dec. 5, the Lady Dons have scored eight goals in their last eight games. The basketball and girls soccer teams will host Bellflower on Wednesday while the girls basketball team is also home to Marina High on Saturday.
GAHR
The boys basketball team has been over .500 once, and that came after a 54-52 win over Brighton (UT) last Friday in the Torrey Pines Classic. The Gladiators would lose to Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) High the next day and will take a 7-7 record into their game against Hesperia High on Saturday night in the Westchester Classic. The girls basketball team is 6-7 after splitting four games last week in the Southern California Holiday Prep Classic. Both teams will begin San Gabriel Valley League play at Dominguez High on Wednesday.
The boys soccer team, which hasn’t played a lot of games, will visit Dominguez on Tuesday and Lynwood High on Thursday while the girls, who are 4-5-2, will be home to those two teams. The Lady Gladiators also hosted Calvary Chapel Santa Ana High this past Wednesday.
JOHN GLENN
After winning two straight games to get to .500, the boys basketball team lost all four games in the Rancho Alamitos Tournament last week and enters this week at 5-9 overall, 1-1 in Suburban League action. The girls basketball team has been flirting with the .500 mark all season and went 3-2 in the Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary Cardinal Classic. The Lady Eagles, on a three-game winning streak for the second time this season, are 9-9 overall, 0-2 in league. The nine wins are the most since going 19-9 during the 2010-2011 season. Both basketball teams will host La Mirada on Wednesday.
The boys soccer team has been shutout in four straight games since beginning the season 4-0-1 and will visit Lynwood today before travelling to La Mirada on Wednesday while the girls, 0-6-1 overall, 0-2 in league, goes to Arroyo High today and will be home to La Mirada on Wednesday.
NORWALK
The boys basketball team fell to Western High 63-50 last Saturday to wrap up the non-league portion of its schedule while the girls (8-6 overall, 2-0 in the Suburban League) are on a three-game losing streak after participating in the Garden Grove Tournament. The boys soccer team was edged by El Rancho High 1-0 on Dec. 27 to fall to 7-3 overall, but 2-0 in league while the girls soccer team hasn’t played since blanking Glenn 4-0 on Dec. 20 to improve to 4-8 overall, 1-1 in league. The basketball and girls soccer teams will host Mayfair High today while boys soccer is on the road against the Monsoons.
VALLEY CHRISTIAN
The girls basketball team has won two of its last seven games and is sporting a 5-10 mark as the Lady Crusaders travel to Pioneer High on Saturday. The boys soccer team, away from the field since Dec. 21 when it lost to La Quinta High 2-1, is 2-6-1 and has not won since Dec. 5. The Crusaders will host Southlands Christian High on Monday and Shalhevet High on Wednesday.
The girls soccer team continues to be the hottest team in the area, winning the Ontario Christian Tournament by shutting out the last three opponents it faced by a combined score of 11-0. The Lady Crusaders are 13-3 but will not play until Jan. 12 when they host La Canada High.
WHITNEY
Both varsity soccer teams began Academy League play this past Wednesday against Sage Hill High. The boys, who are winless in six games with just two goals scored, will then host Samueli Academy today before visiting Brethren Christian High on Monday and Crean Lutheran High on Wednesday. The girls, who are 3-2-1, will be home to Brethren Christian and Crean Lutheran on Monday and Wednesday respectively.
