_______________________________
_________________________________
_______________________________
_________________________________
“In towns and cities... there is no more important institution than the local paper.”
Warren Buffett
February 20, 2025
By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X
The La Mirada High girls basketball team made history last season with the program’s first trip to the CIF-Southern Section divisional semifinals. That was in Division 5AA and even though the Matadores fell to Colton High by a point, the team was determined to get back there.
Now in Division 4A, La Mirada finds itself in the semifinals again following a 46-31 home win over West Covina High this past Wednesday. The Matadores will host University Prep on Saturday as the Jaguars (16-7) edged Schurr High 42-41.
La Mirada, the eighth-seeded team in the division, fell behind 7-2 just over three minutes into the game before scoring three straight baskets, including a go-ahead three-pointer from senior Hailey Medrano with 1:42 left in the stanza. West Covina would regain the lead 15 seconds into the second quarter and went up by three points on Justine Trejo’s basket. But the Bulldogs scored one point the remainder of the half while the Mid-Cities League champions amped up their scoring, thanks to another go-ahead trifecta from Medrano and one from senior Jael Arreguin with a minute left in the half as the Mats (19-10) led 23-12 at the break.
That advantage would increase to 16 points with 3:33 remaining in the third quarter when senior Simran Sahota grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to senior Destiny Elmore who scored to make it 30-14. Then La Mirada iced the game with six straight points in the first 63 seconds of the fourth quarter.
Arreguin and senior Emily Gonzalez each scored 12 points with the latter grabbing six rebounds and the former getting four rebounds and assisting on two baskets. Medrano scored 11 points, had five boards and four steals while sophomore Jordin Shaw pitched in with eight rebounds, seven points, four assists and three steals. La Mirada’s defense forced 24 turnovers while committing 14 turnovers.
No La Mirada girls basketball team has played for a CIF championship but has an excellent opportunity against the 29thseeded team, which upset fourth-seeded Packinghouse Christian High in the first round. West Covina had also posted a first round upset over top-seeded Sherman Indian High.
In other girls basketball quarterfinal action from this past Wednesday, Cerritos High traveled to Ridgecrest to face Burroughs High and defeated the Burros 50-42 in a Division 3AA game. Junior Mady Macaraeg scored 20 points while senior Ambar Multani added 11 points. The Dons, seeded 30th in the Division, improved to 16-15 and moved above .500 for the first time since they were 3-2. They will face 10th-seeded Culver City High, which knocked off second-seeded El Segundo High 52-47.
In Division 3A, ninth-seeded Gahr High took care of top-seeded Lawndale High 48-42 behind 19 points from junior Chloe Beard and 14 more from sophomore Ella Mims. The Gladiators (18-10) will host El Toro, the 21st-seeded team in the division, which is coming off a resounding 62-23 win over Ramona High.
Also in the division, Whitney High moved on with a 71-33 rout of Eastside High out of Lancaster. The Wildcats (23-8), seeded 14th in the division, will visit Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary High, which is the 18th seeded team in the division. The Cardinals advanced with an 87-68 win over Temescal Canyon High. Senior Hailey Wang paced the Wildcats with 33 points while sophomore Alyssa So added 18 points.
In Division 4 girls soccer action, La Mirada and Beaumont High ended regulation tied at 1-1 but the 10th-seeded Matadores earned a trip to Saturday’s semifinals by winning 4-2 in penalty kicks. La Mirada improved to 12-8-3 and will travel to 29th-seeded Redlands East Valley High for a chance to play for a divisional championship.