High School

NBA sons Alijah Arenas, Tajh Ariza set for high school basketball City championship after semifinal victories

Sons of Gilbert Arenas and Trevor Ariza will face off in the LA City Open Division championship on Friday, February 28.

Tarek Fattal

Westchester's Tajh Ariza, son of former Laker Trevor Ariza.
Westchester's Tajh Ariza, son of former Laker Trevor Ariza. / Tarek Fattal

LOS ANGELES — Chatsworth and Westchester are giving the people what they want — or better yet — Alijah Arenas and Tajh Ariza are giving the people what they want.

Not only are Arenas and Ariza the best players in the City, their fathers — Gilbert Arenas and Trevor Ariza — played in the City Section during their high school days before starring in the NBA.

The two will clash in the Los Angeles City Section Open Division final on Friday at LA Southwest College at 8 p.m. after each team claimed victory in the semifinals at Roybal High Monday night.

Westchester defeated Cleveland 68-57 thanks to 20 points and 10 rebounds from Ariza (a junior), who helped lead the Comets to victory despite playing in foul trouble. Teammate Patrick Ramos scored 13 points. Cleveland’s Roman Finney led all scorers with 23 points.

Chatsworth beat Palisades 77-47. Arenas, a USC commit and McDonald’s All-American, had 31 points in the victory. Senior teammate Taj Unuakhalu had seven points and 14 rebounds.

ARENAS VS. ARIZA

The two played against each other earlier this season on November 19. Chatsworth won the game 58-56 with their fathers in the stands.

Arenas had 25 points and 13 rebounds in the early-season victory. Ariza had 14.

Gilbert Arenas, 43, played at Grant High before graduating in 1999 and going on to play at Arizona for Lute Olsen.

Trevor Ariza was a standout at Westchester where he led the Comets to four straight LA City Section titles from 2000-03. Westchester won a CIF State title in 2002.

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Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports
TAREK FATTAL

Tarek Fattal has been covering high school sports since 2015 in Southern California and primarily in Los Angeles, covering notable athletes such as Bronny James, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alyssa Thompson. He was with the LA Daily News for eight years, which included being the beat reporter for the UCLA men's basketball team. Tarek can be seen on TV regularly on CBS/KCAL as a sports analyst with Jim Hill.

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