Palma-Monte Vista hoops

 The road to the Gabilan Division title goes through Palma.
 But Monte Vista is knocking on the door.
 The first of two anticipated battles tips off tonight when the Chieftains put their streak of 19 straight league wins on the line against 12-1 Monte Vista.
 The two teams come in with a combined overall record of 25-3.
 Based on this year's football showdown, these two schools are starting to build a healthy rivalry.
 Palma has rolled its first three Gabilan Division opponents by an average of 21.3 points while the Mustangs needed a 19-0 third quarter run to overtake North County last week.
 Palma made a statement of sorts last week with a non-league win over St. Mary's of Stockton, a team that had beaten them the previous two years.
 Wyatt Maker has been a beast in the paint this season for Palma while junior guard Jamaree Bouyea had UC Davis watching him play last Saturday. Liam McMillin has been a force inside since coming out following an extended football season.
 Ryan De Los Santos has been the Mustangs big gun while Lucas Schmidt and Michael Greene were both named to all-tournament teams earlier this year.
 Monte Vista has scored 70 or more points in its last four games while Palma has held its last two opponents to an average of 38 points a game.