Dougherty Valley takes Alhambra 65-35

Miramonte High School boys basketball takes easy victory over Bulldogs

By LUKE JOHNSON
Special to the Tribune

A tag team effort – 6-foot-5 wing Eddy Ionesco’s 20 points and six rebounds with 6-foot-7 power forward Charlie Hocking’s 15 points and eight rebounds – allowed Miramonte High School boys’ basketball to get an easy victory in the Diablo Valley Athletic League against host Alhambra, 65-35, Tuesday night (Jan. 12).

The game started off going back and forth, with five lead changes occurring in the first quarter. The underdog Bulldogs (6-9) came out with high intensity, and caught the Matadors (12-5) on their heels and barely led, 17-15.

But after the first intermission, Miramonte made some strategic adjustments and outscored Alhambra 32-8 for the next two periods.

“Our coach and our team captain, Eddy, really focused on defense. They made sure that everyone was in help side, guarding their man,” Hocking said.

The Matadors finished strong against the boards and out-rebounded their opponent, 49-34. But the most lopsided team stat was transition points where Miramonte dominated, 25-0.

Each team had a sophomore excel coming off the bench. Miramonte’s 6-foot-5 Enzo Jiannatone scored 11 with eight rebounds, while Alhambra’s Nico Martinez scored 14 with two steals.

“Nico Martinez played an incredible game. For a sophomore kid, he’s been playing a lot for us, but I thought that this was his coming out party,” Alhambra coach Anthony Ertola said. “I was really pleased with the way that he played, and the effort that he gave. It shows a lot of encouragement for a replacement for Josh (Ramirez) next year, because that’s a big question mark right now, ‘Who’s our point guard gonna be?’ And I thought he took a big step toward that tonight.”

Miramonte, now 2-1 in DFAL, gear up to host a tough game against Dublin (13-2; 1-1), while Alhambra, 0-2 in DFAL, will travel to Walnut Creek to take on Los Lomas (9-6; 1-2).

“People are just trying to figure out league right now, because people are having trouble winning on the road, so that’s the big thing, ‘Who can win on the road? People have defended home court really well,” Miramonte coach Drew McDonald said about his expectations for the rest of league play. “Until somebody can establish that they can win on the road it’s going to be a dog fight. Dougherty Valley’s (15-1; 3-0) gotta be the favorite at this point.”

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