Jalen Stokes, Dougherty Valley take down De La Salle by going old school

UC Davis signee, recent transfer backs up 47-point effort with 32 more as the Wildcats take down California's No. 9 team

Dougherty Valley senior guard Jalen Stokes goes up for two of his game-high 32 points in a 58-49 home win over De La Salle 1-17-2025. / Photo: Ernie Abrea

The Dougherty Valley High School boys basketball team used something old and something new to take down California's No. 9 team Friday night.

The newbie is transfer Jalen Stokes, a 6-foot-5 senior who wasn't deemed eligible until the end of the calendar year. The UC Davis signee a week early busted for a school record 47 points but in a defeat at San Ramon Valley.

He scored 15 points less on Friday, but his 32 points plus a stellar defensive team effort lifted the Wildcats to a 59-48 home victory over De La Salle-Concord in East Bay Athletic League play. The Spartans couldn't solve Dougherty Valley's 2-3 zone while dropping to 16-2, 2-1 in EBAL play.

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Dougherty Valley, the 2023 North Coast Section Open Division champs, improved to 13-6 and 2-1.

"We played the old Tom Hansen 2-3 zone all night," said Dougherty Valley coach Mike Hansen by text, referring to the defense his father ran at Foothill-Pleasanton for years in the 1980s and 1990s. "It was a masterpiece."

Dougherty Valley senior Jalen Stokes breaks free during his team's 59-48 win over De La Salle in East Bay Athletic League play at home on 1-17-25 / Photo: Ernie Abrea

So was the performance of Stokes, who made seven buckets, five from 3-point range. Nbody else scored more than Cole Roque's six points for the Wildcats.

"Stokes absolutely dominated," Mike Hansen said.

Junior guard Ibrahim Monawar scored 17 for De La Salle, all but three coming in the second half. The Wildcats held Oklahoma-bound wing Alec Blair to just 10 points.

The Spartans had just 16 points in the first half and 28 at the end of three before putting together a mild comeback in the fourth quarter.

De La Salle can get back on the winning tracket Monday at its own De La Salle Martin Luther King Classic when it takes on Sunnyslope of Arizona. Dougherty Valley takes on Santa Rosa at the Martin Luther King event at San Marin High School.