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By Loren Kopff
Sports Editor | Follow X
February 11, 2026
One of the finest seasons in the past decade for the Valley Christian High girls basketball program has paid off as the Defenders secured the second seed in the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 playoffs. V.C. joins Cerritos High, Norwalk High and Whitney High as the other area teams advancing to the playoffs. Those four schools combined for 89 trips to the playoffs in the past 29 seasons, advancing to the divisional finals a combined nine times. First round games are on Feb. 12 with second round games on Saturday and the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
DIVISION 3
Murrieta Valley High (16-11 overall, 9-1 in the Southwestern League, league champions) @ Cerritos (17-11 overall, 10-0 in the 605 League, league champions)-After reaching the divisional finals three times in the last four seasons, the Dons find themselves traversing a tougher road if they want to get back there again. The champions of the 605 League for the fourth time in the eight-year existence of the league have overcome adversity, especially the loss of senior Madelyn Macaraeg and other injuries to key players to enter the playoffs on a 10-game winning streak. Macaraeg was averaging over 17 points through the first 15 games before she went down with an injury on Dec. 29 against Bishop Amat High.
Juniors Kalana Nguyen and Jordin Pulley have also missed a number of games, but head coach Marcus Chinen believes his team is peaking at the right moment, just like last season when the Dons began 5-14 before ending with a 17-17 record.
“It was difficult, but what it did was it gave the others an opportunity to even start or pick up some minutes which will be crucial going on into the playoffs,” said Chinen of the injuries earlier in the season. “I think that really helped us out. When we got Jordin and we got Kalana back from their injuries, they were a little smart coming off the bench. So, we were a little bit more well-balanced, having two veterans coming off the bench.”
The finalists from last season’s CIF-SS Division 3AA team graduated seven, but the seven returners haven’t missed a beat, led by senior Cameron Lacorte, who is nearing 1,000 points for her Cerritos career. Sophomore Jaslyn Macaraeg has started nearly every game and Chinen has received pleasant results from sophomore Analiyah Coneita, who was plugged into the starting lineup once Mady Macaraeg went down, and junior Kianna Rangel, another starter for all but six games.
Murrieta Valley, like the Dons, got off to a slow start, losing its first three games and 10 of the first 15 contests. But the Nighthawks have lost once since Dec. 30, and that was a 44-40 setback to Murrieta Mesa on Jan. 20. Should the Dons get the first-round win, they would play either El Toro High or top-seeded and former state powerhouse Lynwood High.
“I’m totally fine with [the bracket],” said Chinen. “It’s where would they put you and where would they feel I guess how the algorithm works out. We just have to play the way it is; there’s nothing we can do about that. We just have to prep ourselves the next few days for the game on Thursday.”
DIVISION 5
Whitney (17-8 overall, 8-2 in the 605 League, second place) @ Calvary Baptist High (6-22, 6-2 in the Majestic League, co-champions)-It was more of the same as last season for the Wildcats, who relied on the play from their starters to guide them into the playoffs for the 16th straight season. Under first-year head coach Carl Wilson, the defending state champions in Division V enter the postseason having won 12 of their last 15 games with two of those losses coming to Cerritos.
The Wildcats are led by senior Tina Namaranian, who scored more than 10 points in all but five games, and junior Alyssa So, who posted at least 12 points in 23 of the 25 games. After that, the scoring drops off dramatically as junior starters Cheyanne Cheung and Ella Nelson each reached double digits four times, neither scoring more than a dozen points and the remaining four freshmen and three sophomores on the squad combined to score 188 points.
This is a rare occasion where a team enters the playoffs with over 20 losses, but the Cougars get in because of their league record. The La Verne-based team had to forfeit the first nine games and 17 of the first 21 games. The team’s first true victory didn’t come until Jan. 20, an 82-4 romp over The Grove School. Martina Pasquini leads the Cougars with a 16.4 points per game average, followed by Gaia Giuliani at 13.6.
The winner will play either third-seeded Foothill High or Temecula Prep on Saturday.
DIVISION 6
Silver Valley High (19-6 overall, 11-1 in the Cross Valley League, co-champions) @ #2 Valley Christian (16-8 overall, 5-3 in the Olympic League, tied for second place)-For the first time since the 2021-2022 season, V.C. is back in the playoffs. It began the season with six straight wins and after defeating Maranatha High in the Olympic League opener on Jan. 2, the Defenders were sitting at 12-3. Despite the slide in the last nine games, V.C. still managed to secure the division’s second seed.
The Defenders are paced by sharp-shooting junior Hanna Burgoyne, who was held scoreless once in the first 14 games and under 10 points another time, and have a balanced offensive attack with senior Aniyah Peoples, sophomores Molly Douglas and Jaiya Lee and freshman Ariel Martinez, the next up and coming star for the program. In her second high school game, Martinez scored 20 points against Santa Ana High.
Silver Valley also began the season strong, winning nine of its first 11 games and are currently on an eight-game winning streak. For the Defenders to extend their season, they have to slow down Naomi Durrah as the sophomore is averaging close to 33 points a game, which is close to 20 points under the team average.
The winner will play either Fontana High or Warren High on Saturday.
DIVISION 8
Elsinore High (5-18 overall, 3-5 in the Mountain Pass League, tied for third place) @ Norwalk (15-8 overall, 8-2 in the Mid-Cities League, second place)-After missing the playoffs last season, the Lancers return following one of their finest seasons since 2012-2013. However, Norwalk has not reached the second round since the 2020-2021 season and since the 2011-2012 campaign, has gotten that far.
Norwalk was a game over .500 after 13 games but has lost twice since then, both coming to league champion Warren. One could say it’s the experience that has carried the Lancers this season as they returned eight players from a team of 11 last season, led by sophomores Connie Esquival (12.7 points per game, 10.6 rebounds per game) and Aleeah Lopez (7.9 ppg.) while freshman Isha Morales has shined all season and is averaging 11.4 ppg. and 7.4 rpg.
Elsinore lost it first 10 games and didn’t win until its league opener on Dec. 16 against Tahquitz High, the team it tied for third place. Niara Smith is the only player scoring and rebounding in double figures (12.9, 10.4),
The winner will play either California Military Institute or Orange High on Saturday.
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