LOS ANGELES — It was standing room only at LA Southwest College. It was as if Los Angeles came out to see two NBA sons go at it: Alijah Arenas vs. Tajh Ariza for the City Section Open Division title.
Arenas, the son of former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas, who was a standout at Grant High. Ariza, the son of former NBA wingman Trevor Ariza, who played at Westchester High. Both City Section legends in their own right.
The proverbial stage was set. The show was a sellout. Tajh Ariza took the last bow and exited stage left en route to a 65-55 victory over No. 1 Chatsworth to win the City Section Open Division crown Friday night in front of roughly 1,800.
HOOPS: Westchester 65, Chatsworth 55. FINAL
Comets win the Open Division, and their 16th City title in program history. First City title crown since 2020.
Tajh Ariza 19pts, 8rebs (7-8 FTs)
Alijah Arenas 31pts, 6rebs pic.twitter.com/0MfHOpg6Cn— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) March 1, 2025
Ariza tallied 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists to help the Comets claim their 16th City title in program history. Four of those were won by Trevor Ariza from 2000-03.
“It all ties in,” Ariza said of winning a City title where his father did more than two decades ago. “We’re bringing the City (Section) back.”
Arenas, who reclassified to be a senior this season, is a USC commit and will play in this year’s McDonald’s All-American game. He scored 33 points on 13 of 33 shooting from the field. Arenas had 15 points at halftime on 7 of 13 shooting.
INTERVIEW: Tajh Ariza talks about bringing a City title back to Westchester. His father Trevor Ariza won four for the Comets in the early 2000’s.
Tajh tallied 19pts, 8rebs, 4asts in 65-55 win over Chatsworth in the Open final. pic.twitter.com/PoijHHDlHz
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) March 1, 2025
Ariza, who is only a junior, had help from junior Jordan Ballard, a transfer from Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks, who pitched in 15 points in the victory. The victory was especially sweet after Chatsworth had beaten Westchester earlier in the season.
“Nobody believed in us,” Ariza said.
Chatsworth’s CJ Gore added nine points for the Chancellors, who were plagued by two technical fouls in the final two minutes to make any chance of a comeback more difficult. One tech was issued after a player pulled himself up on the rim after a dunk and the other came after a player lost his temper.
Ariza made all four free throws down the stretch to complete his all-around performance, which was highlighted by silky smooth jumps shots, skying for rebounds, and nifty passes.
“It’s hard to stop us,” Ariza said. “We have a lot of weapons, so why not use them?”
Both teams will await their fate in the CIF State regional playoffs next week. The pairings will be revealed Sunday afternoon.
Tajh Ariza receives his City championship medal and Westchester lifts trophy No. 16. pic.twitter.com/b5YiP5Kyrk
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) March 1, 2025
FRIDAY, FEB. 28 – LA SOUTHWEST COLLEGE
Harbor Teacher 68, Sylmar 48, DIII (GIRLS)
Banning 57, San Fernando 36, DII (GIRLS)
SATURDAY, MARCH 1 – PASADENA CITY COLLEGE
($2.00 parking in Lots 3, 4, 5)
10AM: Math & Science Prep vs. Amino Venice, DIII (BOYS)
12PM: Marquez vs. Bernstein, DII (BOYS)
2PM: Verdugo Hills vs. Washington, DI (GIRLS)
4PM: Sun Valley Poly vs. Grant, DI (BOYS)
6PM: Hamilton vs. Westchester, OPEN (GIRLS)
Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school sports news.
To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app:
The No. 3 Florida Gators (24-4, 11-4 SEC) will return home for the first time since Feb. 18 when they host
The UCF Knights (15-13, 6-11) will take on the TCU Horned Frogs (15-13, 8-9) on Saturday, February 29, at 3 P.M. CT. Here are some key players on the UCF tea
IHSAA girls basketball: Rensselaer Central preview vs. South KnoxTwin Lakes senior Addie Bowsman joins The Scorers Table to help break down Rensselaer Central.T
The 17th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats play host to the No. 1 Auburn Tigers and a Saturday afternoon SEC clash at Rupp Arena. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m