4. Dougherty Valley (18-4, 5-4): A tough week for the Wildcats, losing 74-72 on Tuesday and then lost guard Connor Sevilla in practice on Friday. Closed the week falling 61-58 at Foothill on Saturday. Gets the No. 4 seed and a tough first round game, hosting Granada on Tuesday night. Needs Sevilla back to make a run at the title.
5. Granada (13-6, 5-4): The Mats lost 52-47 to De La Salle in their only game last week and will be the No. 5 seed for the playoffs, facing Dougherty Valley Tuesday night. No question they have the talent to play with anyone but just need to get over the hump against higher ranked teams.
GIRLS
1. San Ramon Valley (21-2, 9-0): Had wins over Amador, Livermore, Monte Vista, and Pinole Valley (non-league). Got pushed by Monte Vista, pulling out the trap game 71-63.
2. Carondelet (20-2, 8-1): Beat Foothill, Dougherty Valley, and Cal to rebound from the loss to San Ramon Valley. You can bet the Cougars have Saturday February 12 circled on their calendar for a rematch in the finals of the EBAL tournament.
3. Monte Vista (16-8, 7-2): The Mustangs beat Dublin and Livermore, but fell to San Ramon and a very tough St. Mary’s of Stockton 67-56 in a non-league game on Saturday. Set for third seed in the tournament.
4. Granada (18-4, 6-3): Will be interesting to see which Granada shows for the tournament as the Mats certainly have the talent to be the third best team in the tournament.
5. Amador Valley (16-8, 5-4): The Dons finished out their hectic last week of the season by beating Dougherty Valley on Sunday afternoon. Draws the No. 5 seed and opens Tuesday night at Granada for the right to play San Ramon Valley in the second round.
SOCCER
There is one week to go in EBAL play and teams have seized control of the respective boys’ and girls’ races, but there is still jockeying going on for position for the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs.
BOYS
1. De La Salle (13-6-1, 9-1-1, 28 points): Someone needed to take control of the league and that was the Spartans. After starting the week beating Dougherty Valley, DLS came back and blasted Monte Vista 4-0 to effectively lock up the league title.
2. California (12-4-5, 7-2-2, 23 points): Started off the week by putting the first nail in Monte Vista’s coffin, dumping the Mustangs 3-1, then ended the week with a 2-1 win over Livermore.
3. Dublin (9-5-5, 6-2-3, 21 points): Mixed emotions as they beat Granada 1-0, then fell to San Ramon Valley 3-0. The Gaels will be the No. 3 team this week as they enter the final week of the season.
4. Monte Vista (11-2-4, 5-2-4, 19 points): The Mustangs regular season went down the drain in the span of two games. Entering the week with a chance to take first place, Monte Vista lost 3-1 to Cal, then 4-0 to De La Salle.
5. San Ramon Valley (8-8-5, 4-5-2, 14 points): Picking a good time to play their best soccer, beating Amador 2-1, then Dublin 3-0 to make a move into the top 5. Well down the league standings, but playing well right now.
GIRLS
1. Monte Vista (11-0-4, 9-0-2, 29 points): The Mustangs went out and took care of business, knocking Carondelet from the unbeaten ranks with a 2-1 win. Also beat Cal 1-0 and tied with Amador 1-1.
2. Carondelet (14-1-2, 8-1-2, 26 points): The Cougars dropped from the unbeaten ranks with the 2-1 loss to Monte Vista, but the Mustangs face a tough final week and if they slip, count on Carondelet to pounce.
3. Amador Valley (6-0-6, 4-0-6, 18 points): It seems there are only two possible outcomes when the Dons take to the field – win or tie. Last week Amador had three matches and came away with three ties. The defense has been solid, but if there is to be post-season success, the offense will have to step up.
4. Dublin (12-4-3, 5-3-2, 17 points): Did tie 2-2 with San Ramon but will jump the Wolves this week for being a more consistent team. Big game Tuesday with front-running Monte Vista.
5. San Ramon Valley (9-4-3, 4-4-3, 15 points): Tied a pair of games last week – 1-1 with Amador and 2-2 with Dublin. Has shown they can play with anyone, so when they close the regular season Monte Vista on Thursday, expect a good match!