AREA HIGH SCHOOL basketball races have started (Shutterstock).

After more than a month of tournaments and pre-league games, area high school basketball teams – both boys and girls – are opening league competition for conference honors and passage to the CIF-SS playoffs.

Tuesday night is the tip-off for that “second season,” although some are scheduled to play their first league game on Wednesday and some scheduled to play on Monday.

An early boys’ key game on Tuesday is a Golden West League game between the two top-rated teams, with Garden Grove (13-8 overall) hosting Godinez (15-4) in the Argonaut gym,

The Grizzlies, from Santa Ana, are on a seven-game winning streak after after defeating Costa Mesa 67-61 on Jan. 2.

The Argonauts started out hot, winning four of their first five games. They defeated Buena Park 52-42 on Thursday.

Both teams were 1-0 after winning their GWL openers. Godinez won on Tuesday night 50-46 and leads the league at 2-0.

Another interesting race is in the seven-member Sunset League, in which at least five members appear to have a legitimate chance to win the trophy.

With 16 wins are Corona del Mar (16-1) and Fountain Valley (16-1), but the other contenders all have at least 10 wins. CDM,

Huntington Beach and Edison each won their openers, and even Los Alamitos (8-6) is on a four-game win streak.

On Monday night, two of the opening night winners – Huntington Beach (now 10-8) and Edison (now 15-3) – met at the Charger gymnasium, with the home team winning 72-51 to move into a tie for first with Corona del Mar (2-0, 17-1).

Those two will meet next  Monday at EHS.

The Green and Gold jumped out to a 18-7 first quarter lead and went into halftime with a 39-15 edge.

Coming up: updating the girls’ basketball league starts.