Davis Thacker / Special to The Malibu Times
With Malibu High School’s sports teams taking a short break from game play during the school’s winter recess, The Malibu Times took a look at upcoming games and the Sharks’ opponents as the teams prepare to begin league schedules.
Girls Basketball: The varsity girls basketball team entered the much-needed break with a 53-13 loss to Bishop Diego. The girls received a week without games to rest injuries sustained in the games leading up to the break. Seniors Danielle Bush and Hannah Robinson, the Sharks’ first and third leading scorers, were injured before the break and look to possibly make an appearance in the team’s games this week. This week, the 2-4 Sharks participated in the Avalon (Catalina) Tournament on Tuesday. The girls are preparing for their first league game against the 3-7 Santa Paula Cardinals on Jan. 11.
Boys Basketball: The varsity boys basketball team ended its participation in the annual Clash on the Coast Tournament with an 82-37 win over Sun Valley High School. The 4-7 Sharks’ next tournament, the Ventura-Kiwanis Tournament, began on Monday. Following this tournament, the boys will play at Saint Monica High School on Jan. 3. The boys return home on Jan. 7 to play Santa Paula in what will be their first league game of the season. The 7-3 Cardinals hold the best record in the Frontier League and the game will be one of the Sharks’ biggest of the year thus far.
Girls Soccer: The Malibu High School varsity girls soccer team entered its break with a 1-0 loss to Pacifica High School. The girls first league match of the season is against the defending league champion Oaks Christian Lions. The 4-3 Sharks will travel to Oaks Christian on Jan. 10 to take on the 6-1-1 Lions in what might prove to be the Sharks’ first major test in their new league this season. Following their game against Oaks Christian, the Sharks will continue their league matches against La Reina High School (5-1) on Jan. 12 and Santa Paula (6-0) on Jan. 14.
Boys Soccer: The boys soccer team entered their break with two 2-0 losses against Camarillo High School and Buckley High School. The soccer team’s first league game is on Jan. 5 against the 0-3-1 Santa Clara Saints. Following that game, the Sharks will take on Oak Park (4-6-1) on Jan. 7 and the defending league champion Oaks Christian (3-2) on Jan. 12.
Girls Water Polo: The Malibu High School girls water polo team went into the break coming off a 6-3 win over Louisville High School. The Sharks’ first league match is against Villanova Prep. The Sharks look to continue their dominance in league play, as they went undefeated in the Tri-Valley League last year. After the game against Villanova, the Sharks will continue their league play with games against Nordhoff on Jan. 12 and Oaks Christian on Jan. 14.