Matt Schuler
By Matt Schuler
Montebello Looking Strong Again
The Montebello Oilers are 18-2 and looking dominant once again after annihilating Alhambra, 68-37, to kick off Almont League play in front of its home crowd.
The win caps off an 11-game winning streak and 13 wins in their last 14 matches. The team has been led by Antonio Worthy, a 6’11″ 295 pound giant of a center who towers over his opponents in the paint.
Montebello also sports a flawless home record of 5-0.
Worthy is averaging 15 points, grabbing nine boards, and coming away with nearly three blocks every game. The center captain is one of the main reasons the Oilers are in the position of making another run at CIF after last years success.
Montebello finished last season 28-2 and nearly made it to the CIF quarterfinal round, but lost to Upland 70-63. The surprise is that after graduating so many seniors from last years squad, the Oilers have still excelled. Many were skeptical that a repeat of last season would be difficult and this year would serve as a rebuilding platform for coach Marino Angulo.
Obviously that is not the case.
The Oilers are a stacked and senior oriented team with 12 seniors listed on their roster, leaving only 3 underclassmen to match. Darius Middleton and John-Michael Carabes are two of the many senior leaders on the team.
Middleton is pitching in 12 points per game, but is one of the key facilitators for the team averaging a little over 5 assists.
Best Start In Years
Mountain View, the school which is located next to the San Gabriel Valley River, or used to be notoriously known for being located right next to the duck farm, is off to its best start in years and is not causing any stink bugs.
The Vikings are smelling more like roses after jumping out to one of their best starts in over 6 years. The Vikes are 15-3 and haven’t had a 15 win season since they went 16-11 in the 08-09 season and lost to Twentynine Palms in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Playoffs.
View is only one win away from tying that mark and have eight more league games to play. Erick Martinez and Jeremy Acosta are two main factors to why the team has had it’s success. Martinez is averaging 14 points, three assists, and two steals.
Acosta is accumulating 10 points and 7 boards, but as a team this group is really defined. The team has only 12 names on their roster, but 9 of those are seniors and the other three are juniors. The experience that the Vikings boast is one of the main reasons they have jumped out to such a great start.
Mountain View has also started off Mission Valley League play 2-0 and carries a 3-0 road record proving resilience away from home. South El Monte, Arroyo, and Gabrielino stand with View in a dog fight in the MVL. South is also 2-0 in league and will meet up with the View on 1-26-11 for a battle of wits; and maybe ultimately the battle for the MVL title.
NBA Fantasy Draft
Ok. Remember a couple of weeks ago we put our NBA giants in pads and selected an All Star Roster for offense. Well now its time to select a couple of Defensive selections. The Guidelines are as follows: Today is draft day and you are a fantasy coach. You need to arrange an All-Star football team, but your selection pool only includes active NBA players. You can arrange the team any way you like based on any factors that persist. Who do you select for each position of a defensive roster?
My All-Star Roster Would Include:
DB- Raja Bell
DB- Tony Allen
SS- Gerald Wallace
LB- Blake Griffin
LB- Jason Maxiell
DL-Carmelo Anthony
DE- Amare Stoudamire
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