The stakes were high at Monta Vista on Tuesday night as the JV and Varsity Boys Basketball teams took on the rival Matadors.

For the JV team, still in the hunt for the league title, the game had significant meaning as they had previously lost to Monta Vista in their first matchup. For the Varsity, not only was the game the annual Battle for De Anza Blvd - the varsity rivalry game, but also the Vikes needed a win this week to be eligible for the CCS Playoffs.

In front of a rivalry-game Tuesday night crowd of possibly dozens of raucous parents, Varsity quickly showed they were not going to repeat the turnover-laden performance of their first matchup where they coughed up the ball 22 times, Their woes in the backcourt from game one had led directly to Monta Vista points, but not the second time around. They consistently broke the full court pressure and slowly ground Monta Vista down. Grabbing an early lead, and with the exception of a 13-13 tie at one point, led from start to finish.

The Matadors were cold as ice in shooting and looked to be half the team they were in the first matchup. Perhaps the first game was the Matadors at their best, while the team they fielded in the Battle for De Anza Blvd was the roster that has only two wins in El Camino play. Varsity led by 12 at half, and maintained a comfortable lead into the fourth quarter where the game result became a forgone conclusion for the woefully shooting Monta Vista players. Varsity won 53-39, clinched playoff eligibility, and took home the Battle for De Anza Blvd trophy for the third straight year.

Head Coach Rick Appler on the game, "I was real happy with our aggressive nature throughout the game. We challenged Senior "Free the Sri" Kadiyala in pre-game and he really stepped up and dominated the paint. 15 and 15 (points and rebounds)."

JV was also a reversal of the first matchup of the year, where they lost a thriller by three. This go-around, they build up a solid lead and half, and despite having a few times where Monta Vista hit some clutch shots and made mini-runs, were never really in danger of losing the game. As the Matadors put on full court defense near the end of the game, the Vikes simply used effective passing down court to drop in a few layups, sealing the game. Head Coach Ajit Vijayakumar was so amped at the victory that postgame he gave a celebratory air punch that seemingly could have taken down a prime-era Mike Tyson.

Both teams return to the court Friday for games against Cupertino. The Varsity game is Senior Night.