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By Loren Kopff
@LorenKopff on Twitter
The Artesia High and Gahr High girls soccer teams kicked off the 2017-2018 season with nothing much settled on the field except for some questions on the offensive side. After 80 minutes, both teams couldn’t find the back of the net and ended with a 0-0 tie.
The Gladiators outshot the Pioneers 9-7 in the game and had more legitimate chances to score. In the 13th minute, senior midfielder Amaya Parker’s shot hit the left corner of the crossbar. Then in the 33rd minute, a strong shot taken by junior forward Karina Aguilar sailed about two yards above the cross bar. Finally, with a minute to go in the first half, forward Amanda Saldana’s shot hit the right post.
This was the first time that Gahr had not lost to Artesia since defeating the Pioneers 2-0 on Dec. 13, 2007. Since then, Artesia has outscored the Gladiators 21-0 in five games, including the tie. Artesia will host Santa Fe High Tuesday and visit Lynwood High on Thursday while Gahr is home to Norwalk High today and will visit Cerritos High on Tuesday.
In other girls soccer action, Cerritos entertains Pacifica High today and will travel to Fullerton High on Thursday, John Glenn High goes to Pioneer High on Tuesday and welcomes Firebaugh High on Thursday and Norwalk visits California High on Tuesday and is home to Whitney High on Thursday.
Valley Christian High opened defense last season’s California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section Division 6 championship with a 4-1 road win against California this past Tuesday. Sophomore forward Janna Dunk scored twice while sophomore midfielder Megan Bouma and senior defender Carli Domino also tallied. The Lady Crusaders will go to Sage Hill High on Tuesday. Also, Whitney will travel to Bassett High today and Fairmont Prep on Tuesday.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Artesia began the season by going 3-1 in the El Monte Tournament and will host its own tournament, beginning on Tuesday with a pool play game against Hoover High. The Pioneers will then face Bosco Tech High on Wednesday. Cerritos faced the California Military Institute on Nov. 30 in the Buena Park Tournament and will host Long Beach Jordan High on Monday in pool play action of the Cerritos/Gahr Varsity Tip-off Tournament. On Wednesday, the Dons will face Kennedy High.
Also in that tournament, Gahr, which went 1-3 in the Pacific Shores Tournament, will host Wiseburn-Da Vinci High on Monday and Fountain Valley High on Tuesday.
John Glenn split the first two games it played in the Los Amigos Tournament while Norwalk edged Paramount High 45-43 this past Tuesday and will visit Valley Christian tonight before competing in the 57th Annual Valley Christian Tournament with pool play games against Lynwood High on Monday and Whittier Christian High on Wednesday.
V.C. defeated Bassett High 69-53 this past Tuesday and will pace Perris High on Tuesday and Trinity Classical High on Wednesday. Also in the V.C. Tournament is Whitney, which has pool play games against St. Anthony High on Monday and Rowville High on Tuesday.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Artesia fell to Anaheim High 66-54 on Nov. 21 in its opener and will face Laguna Beach High on Monday in the Hawk Holiday Classic. The Pioneers will also see Century High on Tuesday and Magnolia High on Thursday in the tournament.
Cerritos, which went 1-1 in its first two games of the Downey Tournament, which began on Nov. 25, will wrap up that tournament on Saturday, then move to the Orange Tournament on Wednesday where the Lady Dons will face Chino High. The next day, Cerritos will play Santiago High.
Gahr opened the Brea Olinda Tournament earlier this week at 1-1 and will jump into the Glenn/Norwalk Tournament on Wednesday against Bassett. Co-host Glenn, which is in the South El Monte Tournament now, will face Whittier High on Wednesday while Norwalk, which goes to Santa Ana Valley today, is home to Samueli Academy on Wednesday.
V.C. went 1-1 in the first two games of the Redondo Tournament and will wrap that up on Saturday while Whitney, also 1-1 in the early stages of the San Marino Tournament, will face Lifeline Charter on Wednesday in the first round of the Glenn/Norwalk Tournament.
BOYS SOCCER
Artesia, a 2-0 loser to Warren High on Nov. 20, will visit Oxford Academy today and travel to North Torrance on Tuesday. Cerritos will travel to Los Amigos High today before competing in the Temple City Tournament on Saturday.
Glenn hosts Pioneer High on Tuesday before travelling to Whittier Christian on Thursday while Norwalk has had a trio of 1-0 decisions, losing to Chino on Nov. 20 before edging Whittier two days later and Santa Fe this past Tuesday. The Lancers will host California on Tuesday.
V.C., a 2-1 loser to Glenn this past Tuesday, hosts Whitney this evening, Sage Hill on Tuesday evening and Lakewood High on Thursday. Whitney will also host La Quinta on Tuesday.
