Trevor Ariza's son Tajh Ariza leads Westchester to a dominating victory at the CIF State Division 2 Playoffs

Tajh Ariza, former NBA star Trevor Ariza’s son, has secured a place in the next round of the CIF State Division II Playoffs with Westchester. The five-star forward and Westchester cruised to a 70-47 victory over La Jolla Country Day in Round I.

With the win, the Comets booked their place in Round II of the playoffs against No. 7 Cleveland. The Round II game with the Cleveland Cavaliers will be played on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. local time.

Ariza, a junior forward, put in an amazing performance for the Comets against La Jolla, grabbing 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and five steals. In addition to the five-star prospect, sophomore Gary Ferguson and freshman Taj Ingram contributed immensely to the Comets’ victory.

Ferguson scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Ingram followed with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. Their incredible performance ensured Westchester had a steady supply of points despite missing its second-leading scorer this season, Jordan Ballard, to injury.

What worked for the Comets was not just their lethal capability going forward but also their ability to block their opponents’ attacking efforts. The Comets coach, Dewitt Cotton, summed up his team’s solid defense in an interview while taking note of Tajh Ariza’s efforts. He said,

“Right now our man-to-man defense is causing a lot of teams problems right now. We are not giving up many open shots. Everything is pretty much contested, and we are getting out and scoring on the break. Tajh is playing really well right now. He has learned that he can dominate games, and he doesn’t have to take many shots.”

Revisiting Tajh Ariza and Westchester’s championship victory over Chatsworth

Dewitt Cotton is intent on leading the Comets to the state championship after defeating Chatsworth 65-55 to win the LA City Section Open Division championship on Feb. 28. Ariza contributed to the victory with a double-double, scoring 19 points with 10 rebounds while giving five assists.

Tajh Ariza and his teammates overcame their underdog status to beat Chatsworth after earlier getting beaten by 59-55 in November. Chatsworth had five-star USC commit Alijah Arenas on the hardwood, but his 31 points and six rebounds were not enough as Westchester claimed the title.

Ariza is the No. 3 small forward in the 2026 class and the No. 8 overall prospect in the class, per the On3 Industry Ranking.