Monte Vista: The East Bay League dark horse
DANVILLE, Calif. — Basketball season is in full swing in northern California’s East Bay League, a high school association known for its long history of highly competitive sports. As league play approaches, the Monte Vista Mustangs look like a dark horse candidate to dethrone last year’s top dog, De La Salle.
It will require some hard work, however. The powerhouse De La Salle program posted a 6-1 league record, going 16-7 overall, winning the league outright in the 2020-21 season. Senior departures have raised a few question marks, but acclaimed Spartan freshman Alec Blair has dismissed doubts by leading the team to a 4-0 record so far.
How can Monte Vista High School give the Spartans a run for their money this year? A continued emphasis on defense while tapping into the offensive production the team enjoyed last year will give the Danville underdogs their best chance at winning the East Bay League this season.
Saying that solid play on both sides of the ball as a fix-all is a grossly obvious over-simplification, but a dive into the point differentials from a year ago may reveal why Monte Vista has a great potential to be better than how they performed last year.
In the 2020-21 season, Monte Vista finished sixth of the ten schools in the East Bay League, but their place in the standings did not tell the whole story. Monte Vista, compared to the five teams ahead of them in league standings last year, scored the second most amount of points against their opponents, edging league-winner De La Salle by 17.
In other words, Monte Vista has proved to be capable of having a high level of offensive potential, one that if left unchanged will be sufficient for the team to outscore its opponents. However, the team’s strengths have shifted to a more defensive-centered approach this year, so far allowing the third lowest points-against in the league. The name of the game is channeling last year’s offensive gameplay with this year’s focus on defense.
Although the De La Salle Spartans are still undefeated this season, the 3-1 Monte Vista Mustangs are keeping up. The two schools do not face one another until Jan. 27 in Danville, followed by a second match up to conclude the season on Feb. 10 in Concord.
The Mustangs face the 3-3 Skyline Titans for their next game in non-league tournament play at a neutral site on Thursday.
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