High School

Trevor Ariza's son beats Gilbert Arenas’ son for high school basketball championship

Alijah Arenas and Tajh Ariza — the sons of former NBA standout — faced off in the Los Angeles City championship.

Tarek Fattal

Alijah Arenas (left) and Tajh Ariza battle in the LA City Section Open Division final at LA Southwest College on Friday, February 28, 2025.
Alijah Arenas (left) and Tajh Ariza battle in the LA City Section Open Division final at LA Southwest College on Friday, February 28, 2025. / Tarek Fattal

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.

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.

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.

high school basketball
Trevor Ariza (left) and Cuttino Mobley chatting while sitting courtside at the City Section Open Division final between Westchester and Chatsworth. / Tarek Fattal

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.

CITY FINALS RECAP/SCHEDULE

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

Math & Science Prep 88, Amino Venice 55, DIII (BOYS)

Bernstein 55, Marquez 42, DII (BOYS)

Verdugo Hills 50, Washington 43, DI (GIRLS)

Sun Valley Poly 60, Grant 59, DI (BOYS)

Hamilton 63, Westchester 52, OPEN (GIRLS)

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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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