Several local teams remain undefeated through the opening two weeks of high school basketball.
The preseason has featured dozens of non-league wins, local tournament champions and high-scoring outings from some of the Santa Clarita Valley’s best.
Here are some updates from around the SCV before Foothill League play begins Tuesday:
Saugus girls making noise early
The Lady Centurions have got off to a hot 4-1 start this season. Saugus has posted wins over Diamond Ranch, Burbank, Chino and St. Bonaventure.
Senior Destiny Onovo has led her team in scoring in four of the five games to start. One of Onovo’s gems was her 20-point, 14-rebound and five-steal performance in the win over St. Bonaventure.
Saugus also showed a strong finish after erasing a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Chino and winning the game, 54-53. Sophomore Sam Cortez led the team in scoring with 15 points while point guard EvaMarie Rios added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Centurions enter league play on Tuesday at home at 5 p.m. against Canyon.
Castaic boys get off to impressive start
The Coyotes are riding high into league play with an Antelope Valley Tournament championship, undefeated start and an average margin of victory of nearly 30 points.
Castaic has shared the sugar and had several players average double-digit scoring in the 4-0 run.
West Ranch will by far be the biggest test so far for Castaic, but the “Lake Boyz” are ready to take on anyone.
The Coyotes host the Wildcats on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Saugus boys finish silver at Paul Sutton Tip-off
The Centurions opened up the season with a trio of victories at the Paul Sutton Tip-off Classic.
Saugus blew by Providence, Oakwood and Loyola behind solid performances from Justin Perez, Bryce Mejia and Max Guardado.
The Cents would fall in the championship game to a talented Crespi team led by head coach, former Laker Derek Fisher.
Perez earned all-tournament honors with numerous standout performances. The senior finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds against Providence and scored 22 points against Loyola.
Saugus heads into league play at home on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against Canyon.
West Ranch boys begin Open Division bid-quest
The Wildcats returned to action with a tough preseason schedule in hopes of another Open Division berth.
West Ranch went toe-to-toe with the reigning CIF champion Corona Centennial Huskies. Corona took the season opener 69-60 behind 31 points and 11 rebounds from UCLA commit Eric Freeny. The Cats were led by senior Jaeden Robley with 20 points.
Robley led West Ranch again with 21 points in the team’s first win this year, an 80-65 victory over Bakersfield Christian. The team featured numerous players nearly registering double-doubles as senior Bishop Brooks, a transfer like Robley, also added 19 points and nine boards in the win. UNLV commit James Evans finished the night with 17 points and seven rebounds. Guard Darrell Morris also added 10 points and nine assists.
The Cats fell to St. Joseph of Santa Maria on Saturday and enter league play at 1-2 overall.
The Wildcats will look to extend their league win streak to 37 games on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. when Foothill League play begins with West Ranch taking on the hosting Castaic.
Valencia girls making progress in tough preseason
The Vikings haven’t made a quick transition with the program’s third coach in five years. However, Valencia is growing and improving day by day under coach Jared Honig.
The team earned Honig’s first career win at Valencia with a 44-26 victory over Heritage Christian. The rest of the preseason has been filled with high-level teams that have gotten the best of the Vikes.
Sophomore Cara McKell leads the team with 13.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a night while senior Libby Oxciano has had a solid start with averages of 10 points, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals.
The Vikings enter league play with a 1-4 record and will look to take down Hart for the first time in two years.
Canyon boys grinding through games ahead of league
No one has been busier in non-league play than Canyon. The Cowboys ride into league play with a 4-3 overall record.
Sharpshooter Eric Kubel started off the season scorching hot and averaged just under 30 points a game in his first three starts. Evan Watts, Sean Hernandez and Evan Madrigal are also all off to solid starts to the season.
Canyon has shown balance offensively and some impressive numbers defensively, already holding three teams under 50 points, while averaging over 61 points a night.
The Cowboys enter league play against Saugus on Tuesday in search of their first win over the Centurions since 2016.
Canyon girls looking to extend win streak
Canyon was a little shorthanded in its opening two losses at Birmingham and Buena but bounced back in tournament play with a pair of wins.
Senior guard Josie Regez has been a scoring machine this season and punched in 23 and 26 points in each of the Cowboys’ wins last week.
A dislocated finger couldn’t stop freshman Isabella Escribano from making a splash against the Basic Wolves of Henderson, Nevada. Escribano popped her finger back into place and went on to score 24 points.
Koko Booker also added a career-high 19 points in Canyon’s win over Coronado.
The Cowboys enter Foothill League play ready to defend their title. Canyon will be on the road on Tuesday at 5 p.m. to take on Saugus.
Trinity girls off to 3-0 start
The Knights have yet again burst out of the gates hot, thanks to the typical swarming defense fans have seen at Trinity.
Heritage League MVP Emma Schaaf has averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds to start her senior season. The Knights have also gotten a boost from senior Iris Weber, who is averaging just under 13 points a game.
Trinity is holding opponents to just over 30 points a game and remain undefeated while waiting for a pair of key transfers to become eligible.
The Knights will have their home opener on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Newhall Church of the Nazarene in a non-league matchup with the Heritage Christian Warriors.
Valencia boys trending up
Valencia has had an interesting season so far.
The Vikes opened up the season with a 59-17 win over Cabrillo of Long Beach. The game was called in the third quarter after the Cabrillo coach refused to exit the game after being ejected. Bryce Bedgood finished the short game with 15 points, six rebounds and six blocks.
Bedgood put up a double-double in Valencia’s 78-74 loss to Thousand Oaks, with 30 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. Senior Ashton Carraway also added 16 points and six rebounds.
Carraway earned all-tournament honors at the Coach C Classic in Santa Clara.
The Vikings enter league play at 3-2 overall. The Vikes host the Hart Indians in Valencia’s home opener on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
This week’s SCV hoops schedule:
Tuesday
• Golden Valley girls at Malibu 5 p.m.
• Canyon girls at Saugus 5 p.m.
• Canyon boys at Saugus 6:30 p.m.
• West Ranch girls at Castaic 5 p.m.
• West Ranch boys at Castaic 6:30 p.m.
• Hart girls at Valencia 5 p.m.
• Hart boys at Valencia 6:30 p.m.
• Pasadena girls at SCCS 6 p.m.
• Hueneme boys at Trinity 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday
• Hart girls at Thousand Oaks 3:30 p.m.
• Royal girls at West Ranch 6:30 p.m.
Thursday
• Hart girls at Agoura 4 p.m.
• Vaughn girls at Golden Valley 5 p.m.
• Frazier Mountain boys at Trinity 5 p.m.
• Heritage Christian girls at Trinity 6:30 p.m.
• SCCS at Valley Torah 8 p.m.
Friday
• West Ranch girls at Canyon 5 p.m.
• West Ranch boys at Canyon 6:30 p.m.
• Saugus girls at Valencia 5 p.m.
• Saugus boys at Valencia 6:30 p.m.
• Castaic girls at Golden Valley 5 p.m.
• Castaic boys at Golden Valley 6:30 p.m.
• Trinity boys at Legacy Christian 5 p.m.
Saturday
• Hart girls at El Camino Real 1 p.m.
• Palm Desert girls at Valencia 3:30 p.m.