Owls stay at top in Socal to start 2023

The Citrus Owls stay at the top of our Socal rankings to start the 2023 year, as Fullerton, East Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego round off our top 5 as conference approaches around the state. Ventura continues their upward trend moving forward and Miramar, Harbor, Chaffey and Mt. San Jacinto round off our top 10. Santiago Canyon reappears into our rankings and Saddleback, Cerritos, Long Beach and MiraCosta round off our top 15 coming into the new year.

Signal The Light Basketball Southern California Top 15 week 8 Rankings

1. Citrus (12-2): The Owls remain our top team in Southern California after picking up two wins since our last rankings. Citrus picked up a win against Los Angeles Harbor and followed that up with a home win against Moorpark 89-58. The Owls have won nine straight games and have put together a 7-1 record against teams that have a winning record with their best victory coming against San Diego. This week, the Owls will be in action twice as Western State South Conference action begins as Citrus will face Bakersfield at home on Wednesday and follow that up with another home game against Santa Monica on Saturday.

2. Fullerton (13-1): The Hornets remain our number two team in Southern California entering 2023. Fullerton picked up wins against Golden West and Santa Ana as the Hornets have opened up Orange Empire Conference action with two wins. Fullerton has won six straight since losing to San Bernardino and have put together a 6-1 record against teams that have a winning record with their best win coming against San Francisco. This week, the Hornets will be in action two times as Fullerton will face Cypress on Wednesday, face Santiago Canyon on the road on Friday.

3. East Los Angeles (12-2): The Huskies remain at number three coming into the new year after picking up three wins since our last posting. East Los Angeles picked up wins against Antelope Valley, Cuyamaca and San Diego Mesa at the Cuyamaca Tournament. The Huskies have won nine straight games and have put together a 5-2 record against teams that have a winning record with their best win coming against West Valley. This week the Huskies will face El Camino on the road on Wednesday and follow that up with a home game against Los Angeles Southwest in non conference action.

4. San Bernardino (11-3): The Wolverines move up one spot in the rankings after going 2-1 at the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Mesa, Arizona. San Bernardino picked up wins against Glendale (AZ), followed that up with a win against Seward County (Kansas) but lost to nationally top ranked Salt Lake City Community College 70-65. The Wolverines have a 2-3 record against teams that have a winning record with their best win coming against Fullerton this season. This upcoming week San Bernardino will be in action twice as the Wolverines will face 9th ranked Chaffey on Wednesday at home and follow that up with a road game against 10th ranked Mt. San Jacinto on Saturday.

5. San Diego (11-3): The Knights move into our top five coming into 2023 after picking up a win last week. San Diego picked up a close win against Copper Mountain 58-53 at home with some pieces missing as the Knights have won four of their last five games. San Diego is 5-3 against teams that have posted a winning record with their best victory coming against Yuba on December 4th. This week, the Knights will be on the road against San Diego Mesa on Wednesday and follow that conference game up with a home game against a much improved Southwestern team at home on Friday evening.

6. Ventura (12-4): The Pirates continue to move up our rankings after a slow start and jump up two spots in our week eight rankings. Ventura picked up a 75-74 road win against Riverside in their last outing and the Pirates have now won four straight and nine of their last ten. Ventura has put together a 7-4 record against teams that have a winning record with their best victory coming against Mt. San Jacinto at home. This upcoming week, conference play starts and the Pirates will face Oxnard on the road on Wednesday and follow that up with a home game against Cuesta on Saturday night.

7. San Diego Miramar (12-2): The Jets drop three spots in our rankings after going 1-1 in their last two outings. Miramar picked up a 56-54 win over Moorpark and then lost to Cerritos 76-74 as the Jets are 2-1 in their last three games which have all been decided by less than three points. Miramar is 5-2 against teams that have posted a winning record with their best victory coming against Los Angeles Harbor. This week the Jets will be on the road twice as Miramar will face Southwestern on Wednesday and then face Grossmont on Friday in Pacific Coast Athletic Conference action.

8. Los Angeles Harbor (12-2): The Seahawks drop two spots in our rankings after going 2-1 in their last three games. LA Harbor picked up wins against Rio Hondo and Grossmont but suffered a close loss against top ranked Citrus since our last rankings were released. Los Angeles Harbor has put together a 4-2 record against teams that have a winning record with their best win coming against Venutra on November 16th. This week, the Seahawks will take on Los Angeles Trade Tech at home on Wednesday and follow that up with a game on the road against a very much improved Pasadena team on Friday night.

9. Chaffey (11-3): The Panthers move up three spots in our rankings and move into our top 10 after picking up two more wins. Chaffey picked up wins against Palo Verde and Santa Barbara and have won three straight games since losing to Fullerton on December 10th. This season the Panthers are 2-3 against teams that have posted a winning record with their best win coming against West Los Angeles on December 8th. This week, Chaffey will face 4th ranked San Bernardino on Wednesday in their lone game of the week.

10. Mt. San Jacinto (10-3): The Eagles drop one spot in our rankings following a loss in their last outing last week. Mt. San Jacinto lost at home against Pasadena and have now gone 2-2 in their last four games. The Eagles have put together a 4-3 record against teams that have a winning record with their best win coming against Saddleback on December 7th. This week, the Eagels will face Palo Verde at home on Wednesday and follow that up with a road game against 4th ranked San Bernardino on Saturday in Inland Empire Conference action.

11. Santiago Canyon (10-4): The Hawks return to our rankings after putting together a pretty good run of late. Santiago Canyon beat Saddleback, Riverside and Cerritos in their last three games which have all been ranked within our Signal The Light Basketball Southern California rankings and the Hawks have won five of their last six. This season, the Hawks are 7-4 against teams that have posted a winning record with their best win coming against Saddleback. This week, the Hawks will face Santa Ana on Wednesday on the road then follow that up with a home game against 2nd ranked Fullerton on Friday night.

12. Saddleback (9-5): The Bobcats drop two spots in our rankings after going 1-1 since our last printed rankings. Saddleback picked up a win against Golden West but lost a road game against Santiago Canyon. Saddleback has a 3-5 record against teams that have a winning record with their best win coming against San Bernardino this season. This upcoming week, the Bobcats will face Irvine Valley at home on Wednesday and follow that up with a road game against a scrappy Cypress team that continues to get better as the season moves along.

13. Cerritos (10-5): The Falcons stay put in our rankings following a 2-1 week since our last rankings. Cerritos picked up wins against Miramar and MiraCosta but had a set back at home against Santiago Canyon. The Falcons have put together a 6-5 record against winning teams and Cerritos has played a great non conference part in their schedule this season with their best victory coming against Citrus. This week, the Falcons will have one game as Cerritos will host Mt. San Antonio on Wednesday for their lone game of the week.

14. Long Beach (10-5): The Vikings move up one spot after having the time off since our last rankings. Long Beach lost to East Los Angeles in their last outing on December 17th but will be back in action after a long lay off. This season the Vikings are 7-3 against teams that have a winning record with their best victory coming against Santiago Canyon. This week, Long Beach will face Rio Hondo on Friday in their lone game of the week.

15. MiraCosta (8-5): The Spartans drop one spot in the rankings after going 1-1 since our last rankings were dropped. MiraCosta picked up a win against Moorpark but suffered a set back against Cerritos as the Spartans have won four of their last five games. This season, the Spartans are 3-5 against teams that have posted a winning record a their best victory has come against West Los Angeles. This week, the Spartans will face Cuyamaca on the road on Wednesday and follow that up with a huge game against Palomar at home on Friday night in Pacific Coast Athletic Conference action.

Signaling a Light: Orange Coast (10-4), Southwestern (8-6), Palomar (9-5), Pasadena (10-6), Allan Hancock (10-6), Cuesta (9-7), Canyons (9-5), West Los Angeles (8-6).