Fight Night
M. Lin
The top defense and the top offense in the DFAL league will collide in the most anticipated game of the 2017-18 season. The (20-2, 5-1 in league) Las Lomas Knights take on the (21-1, 5-1 in league) Clayton Valley Charter Ugly Eagles this upcoming Tuesday, February 6th at 7:00 P.M. at Las Lomas High School. “I think having home court advantage is going to make a big impact on the way we play and perform,”said senior Las Lomas guard Jason Holman. This game will bring in crowds of people and nothing but madness is to be expected from both fan bases. In the last meeting between these two teams, Clayton Valley beat Las Lomas 82-63 on January 19th at Clayton Valley High School.
The Knights and the Ugly Eagles have a talented roster led by Boston University commit senior guard Garrett Pascoe for Clayton Valley, and senior guard Robert Prince for the Knights. Arguably, both these teams have the most skilled starting five in the league. The Knights fierce starters are Robert Prince, Jason Holman, Nathan Robinson, Devin Payne, and Homer Kravets. Clayton Valley contains skilled starters Garrett Pascoe, Roman Merritt, Zach Martinez, JD Williams, and Nick Klarman.
M. Lin
Senior Las Lomas guard Nathan Robinson knows how talented Clayton Valley is at both offense and defense, “Clayton Valley runs a very good offense, they are extremely disciplined on the defensive end as well. It should be another great game.” Clayton Valley has the top offense in the league, scoring a total of 1,737 points this season, and Las Lomas has scored a total of 1,489 points. The Knights have the best defense in the league, only allowing a total of 1,119 points this season, while the Ugly Eagles have allowed a total of 1,260 points this season.
Las Lomas coach Brian Dietschy and Clayton Valley coach Eric Bamberger are both experienced coaches. Coach Dietschy, since taking over as the head coach in the 2016-17 season has a career record of 42-9. Dietschy officially became the head coach in the 2016, but he is no new face to Las Lomas basketball. Previously, the now head Las Lomas coach was assistant coach for long time Knights coach Jeff Loving. Coach Bamberger took over as the head coach in the 2013-14 season for the Ugly Eagles and has a career record of 85-41 at Clayton Valley. Bamberger has had previous coaching positions at Ygnacio Valley High School, Deer Valley High School, Amador Valley High School, and Santa Clara High School. He has brought a talented basketball IQ to the Ugly Eagles basketball program.
7:00 P.M. will be tipoff time for this rivalry game, but many people may start arriving as soon as 5:30 P.M. for this must see event. The Knights and Ugly Eagles are prepared for this game, and focused on conquering first place in league. This game may even be a deciding factor for who wins the Diablo Foothill Athletic League this season. Don’t make plans for Tuesday night. You won’t want to miss this competitive match.
