Cypress High kicks off league campaign

The Western High boys’ basketball team returned from the holiday break and squared off against Cypress High to kick off its Empire League campaign last week.

The Pioneers didn’t quit finish that contest the way they had hoped, falling 51-32 to the hosting Centurions on Jan. 2.

The Pioneers were led by Jason Walker, who scored 9 points.

The Western High boys’ basketball team returned from the holiday break and squared off against Cypress High to kick off its Empire League campaign last week.

The Pioneers didn’t quit finish that contest the way they had hoped, falling 51-32 to the hosting Centurions on Jan. 2.

The Pioneers were led by Jason Walker, who scored 9 points.

They currently own an overall record of 13-5 and a 1-2 mark in league. They returned to action against Yorba Linda on Jan. 4 and delivered their first Empire League win with a 56-47 victory at home. However, the Pioneers returned to action against Valencia on Jan. 7 and suffered another loss in league play. This time they fell 55-32, with Valencia’s Zavon Benford leading the way with 18 points.

The Pioneers will play their next contest today, Jan. 9 against at Pacifica, which they easily won.

The Centurions own an overall record of 13-4 and 2-0 mark in league. They had a bye on Friday and returned to action against rival Kennedy High on Jan. 7. In that contest Jalen Hall notched 23 points to help the Centurions pull off an impressive 51-42 triumph over the Fighting Irish, who had not suffered a league loss prior to Monday night’s contest.

The Centurions will play their next matchup against host Yorba Linda on Jan. 11 at 7 p.m.

Tustin and Cypress currently top the Empire League standings with perfect records, though Tustin owns a 3-0 record, giving it a slight edge.

Western occupies the No. 4 spot with Valencia, trailing Kennedy (2-1).