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December 31, 2025
By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X
The final December high school basketball tournaments ended this past Tuesday and as the calendar flips over to 2026, that could mean only one thing-league action gets underway. While there may be a few non-league games sprinkled in here and there, January figures to be an exciting month to kick off the new year as the area teams have until Feb. 4 to prove that they are worthy of an automatic berth to the CIF-Southern Section divisional playoffs.
This past Tuesday in the third place game in the 60th Annual Orange Holiday Classic, the Cerritos High boys basketball team rallied from a nine-point deficit against Irvine High with 7:12 left in the game and roared all the way back to post a 53-49 victory. Freshman Jace Ribac, who was named to the All-Tournament team, scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter while junior Rocco Chua, also named to the All-Tournament team, hit a three-pointer in the third and fourth quarters, the last coming with 1:50 left to play to bring the Dons to within a point at 45-44.
But it was Ribac’s three-point play with a minute remaining that proved to be the game-winner. Junior Devon Hardy added 13 points and seven rebounds and three steals while Chua had eight points.
Also this past Tuesday, the Gahr High boys basketball team fell to Mission College Prep 46-42 in the championship game of the South Pasadena Tournament while in girls basketball action, Cerritos fell to Glendora High 59-40 in the Glendora Tournament, where the Dons went 1-3, and the Gahr girls basketball team defeated Coachella Valley High 46-34 to split its four games in the Desert Mirage Tournament.
Here’s a look at the upcoming week on a league to league basis with the 605 League girls soccer teams playing at the opposite site as the boys soccer and boys and girls basketball teams while the Valley Christian High boys soccer team plays at the opposite site as the school’s other winter teams in Olympic League action.
605 LEAGUE
The first league games take place on Tuesday with Artesia High hosting Pioneer High, Cerritos visiting John Glenn High and Whitney High going to longtime rival Oxford Academy. In addition, the Artesia boys basketball team hosts Loara High on Friday and travels to Oakwood High on Saturday while the Artesia boys soccer team entertains Mayfair High on Saturday.
The Cerritos girls basketball team travels to St. Margaret’s High on Saturday and the Whitney girls basketball team visits Peninsula High on Monday.
GATEWAY LEAGUE
The La Mirada High boys basketball team hosts Dominguez High on Monday and visits Bellflower High on Wednesday while the Gahr boys basketball team visits Mayfair on Wednesday. La Mirada also plays Crespi High on Friday.
The La Mirada girls basketball team hosts Downey High on Monday and goes to Lynwood High on Wednesday while the Gahr girls basketball team goes to Paramount High on Wednesday.
In boys soccer action, Gahr travels to Lynwood on Saturday and Warren High on Thursday in between a home game with Paramount on Tuesday. In girls soccer action, La Mirada visits Paramount on Tuesday before hosting Warren on Thursday.
MID-CITIES LEAGUE
Both Norwalk High basketball teams welcome Firebaugh High on Friday while the boys go to Downey on Wednesday and the girls visit Dominguez on Wednesday.
The La Mirada boys soccer team goes to Mayfair on Monday, hosts Norwalk on Tuesday and visits Firebaugh on Thursday while the Norwalk boys soccer team entertains Firebaugh on Friday and Bellflower on Thursday. In girls soccer action, Gahr hosts Mayfair on Friday, travels to Norwalk on Tuesday and welcomes Firebaugh on Thursday while Norwalk visits Firebaugh on Friday and Bellflower on Thursday.
OLYMPIC LEAGUE
V.C. hosts Maranatha High on Friday while the boys basketball team travels to Newport Christian High Tuesday and entertains Tarbut V’ Torah High on Wednesday while the girls basketball team visits Long Beach Wilson High on Monday and the girls soccer team travels to California High on Tuesday.
STANDINGS AS OF THIS PAST WEDNESDAY
Boys basketball Girls basketball Boys Soccer Girls Soccer
Artesia 6-6 0-8 4-8-0 8-1-2
Cerritos 8-10 7-10 4-3-2 3-6-0
Gahr 10-5 7-10 5-3-2 1-10-0
Glenn 4-7 2-10 2-5-3 0-7-0
La Mirada 10-6 2-8 2-6-0 3-4-3
Norwalk 10-7 7-6 2-4-1 2-7-1
V.C. 9-6 11-3 7-2-1 10-3-2
Whitney 6-12 8-6 0-5-0
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