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By Loren Kopff
Sports Editor | Follow X
December 17, 2025
The early part of Gahr High’s 2025-2026 season has been like keeping track of the stock market. Entering its matinee game with Marquez High last Saturday, the Gladiators have been up and down, starting with a loss, then two wins, two losses, two wins and a loss.
In fact, all four wins have come in convincing fashion, and it appeared to go in that direction against Marquez as the host Gladiators led by 12 points almost two minutes into the fourth quarter. But that advantage dwindled down to single digits as Gahr held on for a 57-51 victory. Although Gahr moved north of .500 for the third time, the performance left head coach Marcus Girley feeling frustrated.
“It is, it is, and I’m hoping this is what they call the process,” said Girley. “When you have a lot of young and inexperienced players…even my older players are inexperienced. I have a senior who has never played varsity basketball before. So, everybody is learning; everybody is in a new role, new expectations and more responsibilities. It’s just at times, we just don’t look the part.
“There are times where we do and then we’ll be on that roller coaster and we’ll let a team get back in,” he continued. “I think we’re still playing a little too much off of emotions instead of execution and discipline.”
Marquez led 8-6 midway through the first quarter before Gahr went on an 11-0 run with five different players scoring. The hosts would be up 25-15 with 3:08 left in the half but in a blink of an eye, Marquez came back to tie the game as Jayden Tucker scored eight straight points, and Elyjah Staples added the tying basket with 21.6 seconds remaining. A three-pointer from sophomore Louie Reveles would send Gahr into the intermission with a 28-25 lead.
In last season’s 62-35 Gahr win over Marquez on the road, Staples scored 13 points, but in the first half alone last Saturday, he was up to a dozen points and finished the game with a team-high 21 points.
“I think a lot of it was just a lack of our execution on our defensive game plan,” said Girley. “[Staples] is a physical guy; he’s a good athlete and I think us being just a little younger, we’re not as physical and as long as we were last year.”
Sophomore Konner Bookman began the second half with a three-pointer and almost two minutes later, senior Harshveer Shergill added a basket as Gahr was slowly building its lead again. In fact, Shergill, who did not play in the first half, was a dominant force for the Gladiators in the second half, making all five of his shots and grabbing an offensive rebound while navigating through four personal fouls, three coming in a span of 1:34 late in the third quarter.
“We have seven sophomores and some of them have a lot of upside, but they don’t understand the game,” said Girley. “Sometimes, it’s quarter to quarter, sometimes it’s possession to possession and sometimes it’s action to action where it’s like this kid isn’t locked in; he’s not playing hard, he’s not focused.”
A pair of free throws from senior Kingston Nathaniel with 97 seconds left in the third quarter increased the lead to 41-30, then a steal from sophomore Arien Cruz-Davis and subsequent basket from senior Makhi Montgomery gave Gahr a 47-35 lead.
Marquez scored the next six points and Gahr would hold a pair of 11-point leads, but it would get a little too close for comfort over the final 2:13 of the game. Tucker scored five straight points before a basket from Cruz-Davis made it 56-48 with 1:12 left.
Nathaniel led Gahr with 13 points while Bookman and sophomore Bryce Titus each added nine and eight points, respectively. Reveles had five of the team’s 12 steals and Cruz-Davis pulled down five rebounds.
Gahr defeated Rancho Dominguez High 76-52 this past Monday to improve to 6-4, the first time it has been two games over .500 and visited Cerritos High on Dec. 18 in its annual city rivalry game. Of the four losses this season, the margin of defeat was by five, six, 14 and 10 points.
“Minus the Mira Costa game, every game I felt like we have had self-inflicted wounds,” said Girley. “Just learning how to finish and still developing a leader, I think that’s kind of hurt when the game gets into crunch time. So, we’re there, and its just understanding how to win and finish plays and how to execute when you’re in those types of adverse situatuons.”
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