Expect exciting finish to EBAL boys’ basketball regular season

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The Big Picture looks at the wild and wide-open EBAL boys’ basketball league. Once again, the league is talented and deep. With four games left there are four teams 4-1, one at 3-2, and two more teams 2-3, and those are teams capable of beating anyone in the league. See who still must meet up on the court.

EBAL Power Rankings has a new leader in a couple of sports and some changes here and there. Check out is on top of the new ladder in basketball and soccer.

What to Watch gives you a handful of big games this upcoming week and where you can watch the action!

Got a great story idea for something coming up in the winter? Let me know at acesmag@aol.com!

From the sidelines,
Dennis Miller, Playbook Editor

Expect exciting finish to EBAL boys’ basketball regular season

What happens over the rest of the season certainly remains to be seen, but when NCS starts, the EBAL could have as many as seven teams in the postseason. And those teams could very well make some serious noise. Let’s look through the league and what they have left.

Power Rankings as of Jan. 27.

EBAL BOYS’ BASKETBALL

1) Dougherty Valley (16-6, 4-1): The Wildcats will take over the top spot this week after running off three wins this week. Beat Santa Rosa, Livermore, and Granada. Has a huge game this week with California on Thursday.

2) De La Salle (18-3, 4-1): Wins two big league games last week, beating Dublin and Amador Valley. Has a bit easier of week now. Spartans are sitting in a good place.

3) San Ramon Valley (15-7, 4-1): Big week for the Wolves beating Bishop O’Dowd, Amador Valley, and California. They jump a couple spots and they are playing some good ball.

4) California (19-3, 4-1): One week after beating Dublin to take the top spot, the Grizzlies dropped a 77-63 game against San Ramon Valley and drop a few spots.

5) Dublin (19-3, 3-2): The Gaels went into De La Salle and played tough but fell 53-49. They rebounded with a potential trap game and got a 64-61 win against Monte Vista.

On the bubble: Amador Valley (17-5, 2-3), Monte Vista (14-8, 2-3), Granada (7-15, 1-4), Foothill (12-10, 1-4), Livermore (14-8, 0-5).

EBAL GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

1) San Ramon Valley (17-4, 5-0): The Wolves fell to Pinewood in a big non-league game 57-52, but then ran off wins over Francis Parker, Amador Valley, and California.

2) Carondelet (16-4, 6-1): The Cougars crush Dublin and Amador Valley league, and win a tournament game as well against Sacred Heart Prep.

3) California (12-8, 4-1): Split EBAL games, beating Granada and losing to San Ramon Valley. Firmly in contention for the third best in league, and with the top two being who they are, it’s not a bad thing.

4) Dublin (14-1, 2-2): The Gaels get through their game against Carondelet, then come back with an 11-point win over Monte Vista.

5) Granada (10-13, 3-3) The Matadors get into the top five with a 61-56 win over Dougherty Valley, the former No. 5.

On the bubble: Dougherty Valley (14-7, 3-3), Monte Vista (9-12, 2-3), Granada (8-12, 2-2), Amador Valley (7-13, 1-4), Foothill (5-13, 0-4), Livermore (7-14, 0-5).

EBAL BOYS’ SOCCER

1. Dougherty Valley (12-2-2, 5-0-0): The Wildcats get wins over Marin Academy, Livermore, and Granada since they beat De La Salle two weeks back.

2. De La Salle (9-3-1, 4-1-0): The Spartans rebound nicely after falling to Dougherty Valley two weeks ago, beating Dublin (7-0) and Amador (6-1).

3. Monte Vista (6-2-2, 3-2-1): The Mustangs tied Foothill 1-1 but then thumped Dublin 4-0 to keep the No. 3 spot.

4. Granada (10-4-1, 2-121-1): Overall a good week for the Mats as they beat Cal 6-1, then dropped a 5-2 match to top-ranked Dougherty Valley.

5. California (8-5-3, 2-3-0): Tough week for the Grizzlies has dropped a pair of matches, losing to Granada (6-1) and San Ramon Valley (3-2).

On the bubble: San Ramon Valley (9-5-2, 2-2-1), Livermore (6-7-2, 3-2-0), Amador Valley (3-7-6, 0-3-2), Dublin (3-5-4, 0-4-0), Foothill (5-9-2, 0-4-1).

EBAL GIRLS’ SOCCER

1. Carondelet (12-2-0, 5-0): The Cougars take care of business by beating Dublin and Amador Valley to take over the top spot in the rankings.

2. San Ramon Valley (6-1-0, 4-1-0): The Wolves have a good week, beating Amador 1-0, then beating California 3-0. Move up to No. 2.

3. Amador Valley (4-2-0, 3-2-0): Tough week for the Dons as they got the top spot in the rankings, then went out a lost to San Ramon Valley (1-0) and Carondelet (2-1) to fall back in thee rankings.

4. Granada (7-1-6, 1-1-3): The Matadors tread water last week, tying Cal 1-1, then beating Dougherty Valley 2-1.

5. Foothill (6-1-4, 2-1-2): Really weird day for the Falcons as they get blitzed by Monte Vista in losing 3-0, then rally and beat Livermore 3-0.

On the bubble: Dublin (6-3-1, 2-2-1), Dougherty Valley (4-6-0, 1-4-0), California (4-5-2, 1-2-2), Monte Vista (2-3-3, 1-2-2), Livermore (2-8-1, 0-5-1).

Tuesday, Jan. 28

EBAL Girls’ Soccer (6:30 p.m.) – Dublin at Amador Valley: The Dons entered last week unbeaten and lost twice falling to San Ramon Valley and Carondelet. Now they try to right the ship against a good Dublin team that played Carondelet tough in a 2-0 loss. Foothill at Carondelet: The Falcons have only one loss in 11 games this year but had a very suspect 3-0 loss to Monte Vista last week. Now they get a Carondelet team that is 5-0 in league with a chance to show they belong. Granada at San Ramon Valley: The Mats have been consistent for the most part, either winning or trying games. At 1-1-3 in league, they need to get some wins. The Wolves have won three in a row and are 4-1 in league.

Boys’ Basketball – Amador Valley at Dublin: The Dons lost twice in league last week, turning in a pair of big efforts against the top teams in the league, losing 88-82 in overtime to San Ramon Valley and 51-42 to De La Salle. The Gaels lost 53-49 at De La Salle, then battled to get a 64-61 win over Monte Vista. Dublin has two league losses, and Amador Valley three. Both need a big win here.

Friday, Jan. 31

EBAL Boys’ Basketball (7:30 p.m.) – Dougherty Valley at California: Two of the teams at 4-1 in league and depending on what happens on Tuesday, this could move one of the teams to 6-1. A win here gives the team a big step-up on the other.

Pleasanton Preps: Dons battle back for draw against Mats in boys’ soccer match

After dropping their first two East Bay Athletic League boys’ soccer matches, the Amador Valley varsity rallied for a thrilling 3-3 final against Granada.

Dennis Miller is a veteran sports writer and editor, covering sports in the Tri-Valley for over 35 years. In addition to being the editor of Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, he has written a weekly column for Pleasanton Weekly and PleasantonWeekly.com, “Pleasanton Preps,” since 2011. Email him at sports@pleasantonweekly.com.

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