Basketball roundup: No. 14 Dublin snaps No. 10 Monte Vista’s unbeaten EBAL start
SAN RAMON — Just when it looked like the top teams in the East Bay Athletic League started to reveal themselves, the season made yet another wild turn on Tuesday night.
Dublin walked into Monte Vista and handed the Mustangs their first league loss of the season with a controlled 49-38 road win.
Tuesday’s result was the latest wrinkle in an EBAL race that has resisted traditional order from the start. Dublin followed a narrowed home loss last Friday with a defense-first performance while Monte Vista’s impressive unbeaten streak was snapped.
“It was a grinder for sure. It was a three-point game at half, but I think our defense was the key,” Dublin coach Tom Costello told the Bay Area News Group over the phone on Tuesday night. “It was kind of a methodical, slow paced game.”
Aiden Li led Dublin with 14 points while Izaiyah Romero had 11. Ian Desai was Monte Vista’s leading scorer with 15 points, but no other Mustang had more than eight.
Monte Vista’s 38 points was the least amount of points a Dublin team has given up in a league game since the Gaels held Livermore to 34 points in 2023.
Monte Vista went into halftime with a three-point lead, but a strong scoring stretch from Li and Romero in the third quarter gave Dublin a second-half advantage. The senior duo combined for 12 of Dublin’s 15 third-quarter points.
While buckets were hard to come by late, Dublin outscored Monte Vista 17-10 in the fourth quarter to seal the win. After scoring 20 first-half points, the Danville school was held to just 18 in the final two quarters.
Costello credited his team for getting accustomed to the league’s physicality after just one player – Li – played meaningful minutes for the Gaels last year.
“For us, we have one guy on our team that actually played minutes for us last year in these EBAL games,” Costello said. “I think each game we’re getting more accustomed to the environment and the intensity and the focus that’s needed.”
With the win, Dublin (15-6, 2-2) now enters a logjam for third place in the EBAL, having the same league record as Granada, Dougherty Valley, San Ramon Valley, Livermore and Amador Valley.
Monte Vista (14-7, 3-1) remained in second place and will go on the road on Friday to play Dougherty Valley, which fell to Granada on Tuesday night.
No. 1 Salesian 80, St. Patrick-St. Vincent 62
The Pride rolled to their ninth straight win, handing St. Parick-St. Vincent an 18-point Tri-County Athletic League loss at home. Elias Obenyah was Salesian’s leading scorer with 25 points, Juelz Richo had 15, Carlton Perrilliat Jr. totaled 13 and Xavier Sims had 11. SPSV was led by Ronald Rhymes, who had a game-high 26 points. Salesian is now 18-2, 5-0. SPSV dropped to 10-8, 1-4.
No. 5 De La Salle 62, No. 10 Amador Valley 46
De La Salle earned a bounce-back EBAL win after getting hammered on Monday night at the hands of St. Joseph-Santa Maria. Davit Pachulia scored a team-high 20 points and Ibrahim Monawar added 19 points and six assists to help the Spartans improve to 18-3, 4-0. The Spartans outscored the Dons 16-5 in the final 10 minutes to seal the win. Jaylen Smith led Amador Valley (13-8, 2-2) with 30 points.
No. 7 Bellarmine 65, Serra 57
Chico State commit Will Corbett turned in another high-scoring performance, dropping 31 points to lead Bellarmine past Serra in a West Catholic Athletic League showdown. Serra (9-6, 1-4) got 18 points from Wyatt Vonblanco, 12 from Zorba Apostolou and 10 from Sebastian Margate, but it wasn’t enough. Brennan Williams added 13 for Bellarmine, which improved 11-4, 3-2.
No. 8 The King’s Academy 71, Priory 58
In a crucial West Bay Athletic League matchup, TKA (14-3, 3-0) got the better of Priory (11-5, 2-1) on the road. Claxton Ladine had 26 points, Xavier Barnett had 16 and Hezekiah Sires scored 13. Priory got 20 points from Jai Gerrodette and 18 from Mate Palotai. TKA star Boss Mhoon missed his sixth straight game with an ankle injury.
No. 12 Moreau Catholic 80, American 52
Moreau cruised to its seventh consecutive Mission Valley Athletic League victory behind 16 points from point guard Isaiah Clendinen. Big man Brendan Williams and sophomore Nikhill Yemme each had 12 points for Moreau, which improved to 15-3, 7-0. American (7-12, 2-5) 17 points from Aaryan Parekh.
No. 15 Liberty 80, Antioch 43
Junior star Jaiden Miller poured in 26 points, Dante Vigil added 17 and Andrew Rendon scored 13 as the Lions easily cruised past Antioch on the road to remain perfect in Bay Valley Athletic League play. Liberty improved to 18-3, 6-0. Antioch dropped to 7-12, 2-4.
San Ramon Valley 63, No. 18 California 58
The downward spiral continued for California as the Grizzlies lost their fourth straight game – third consecutive EBAL contest – to SRV on the road. Tyler Smith had 18 points, Pierce Iattoni had 16, Philip Hitchcock chipped in 12 and Tommy Ambidge scored 11 to lead the Wolves to a solid league victory. California (10-11, 1-3) got 28 points from Santa Clara commit Brayde Kuykendall and 14 from Emeka Ifediora. SRV improved to 9-12, 2-2.
Brave Christian 78, Quarry Lane 37
The Lions have been quietly dominant and that didn’t change on Tuesday night against crosstown rival Quarry Lane. JP Oka had a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds as did Adama Kone, who had 15 points and 10 boards. Brave Christian is 14-4 and have won eight consecutive Bay Counties League General Division games.
Christopher 61, Westmont 58
Christopher earned a decisive Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division victory, edging out Westmont at home. Quinn Ledesma-Old Elk had a game-high 22 points and Anton Mendezona had 18 points for Christopher (13-4, 4-1). Westmont’s Gabe Mathiesen scored 28 points, Jacob Froman had 14 and Ruhaan Popli had 11 but it wasn’t enough for the Warriors, who dropped to 13-2, 2-2.
Homestead 60, Mountain View 53
Junior Ashton Tam was a force on Tuesday night, scoring 26 points in Homestead’s Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division win. Noah Shahraz and Diego Inocencio each had 14 points for Mountain View (8-9, 2-3). Homestead improved to 9-8, 3-3.
Los Gatos 66, Wilcox 51
Dionysis Maroudas scored a game-high 15 points, Milos Grabovac added 12 and Jack Siri chipped in 10 as Los Gatos (13-4, 2-1) cruised to a SCVAL De Anza Division victory. Wilcox (3-13, 0-5) got 12 points from Jordan Slate.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
No. 2 San Ramon Valley 101, California 24
The Wolves broke the 100-point marker as the Danville school routed California on the road in an EBAL contest. Presley Uchikura led the way with 21 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. Ella Gunderson had a game-high 26 points, outscoring the Grizzlies by herself. SRV is now 15-3, 4-0. California dropped to 11-6, 2-1.
No. 4 Priory 55, Menlo School 15
The Panthers continued their dominant stretch, this time defeating Menlo School in a WBAL matchup. Freshman Shay Johnson had 13 points and five rebounds while Adelaide Chan added nine points. Priory improved to 11-5, 2-1. Menlo is now 9-7, 1-2.
No. 15 Moreau Catholic 72, American 50
Four different players scored in double figures for the Mariners as they cruised to a Mission Valley Athletic League win. Mahlaysia Atkins led the way with 13 points, Ava Bowens and Kaliya Kirkwood had 11 and Jennifer Schroeder scored 10 for Moreau Catholic, which improved to 13-6, 7-0. American, led by 32 points from Shirina Shi, dropped to 10-7, 5-2.
No. 16 Dublin 64, Monte Vista 40
Arianna Chacon dropped 35 points as Dublin cruised past EBAL foe Monte Vista at home. Addison Leomiti added 15 points and Makaela Beltran had nine for Dublin, which improved to 15-4, 3-2. Monte Vista (10-9, 2-2) got 22 points from Juliette Leonard.
No. 19 Dougherty Valley 58, Granada 43
Prolific scorer Keira Tom scored 27 points, dished out three assists, grabbed three rebounds and had three steals to help lead Dougherty Valley to a comfortable EBAL win over Granada. Sophomore Lauren Lohe added 16 points and freshman Chloe Omega had 14 for Dougherty Valley, which improved to 15-3, 3-1. Granada dropped to 7-14, 0-4.
Liberty 49, Antioch 19
Leosha Baker, Izahbella Molina Valverde and Alannah Lopez each had nine points as Liberty’s balanced scoring attack easily defeated Antioch (10-7, 2-4) in this Bay Valley Athletic League matchup. Antioch’s Anylah Haynes led all scorers with 10 points. Liberty improved to 11-8, 4-2.