THE A-D'S TOP 5: Mid-Valley's rivalry week

It's the time of year that creates all of the buzz.

Rivalry week is here, and with it will come gymansiums filled to capacity, new decibel levels reached and, of course, the back-and-forth chiding between student sections.

The Mid-Valley's four biggest schools square off in their annual showdowns: River Valley hosts Yuba City on Friday night and, on the other side of the bridge, Marysville will square off with its district rival Lindhurst.

The big-time matchups don't end there.

The local Sacramento Valley League squads (Colusa, Live Oak and Pierce) will face each other this week and Faith Christian will battle Valley Christian tonight for first place.

It doesn't matter what a team's record is going into a game like this. Something about rivalries brings out the best in teams.

We'll see just how much this week.

BOYS

GAME TO WATCH: Yuba City at River Valley, Friday, 7 p.m.

PRIME-TIME PERFORMER: Pierce junior Oscar Dorantes — The Bears have won seven of their last eight games and Dorantes is a big reason why.

Through three league games he's averaging 17 points, including a 26-point performance against Trinity.

Dorantes and the Bears host Live Oak tonight followed by a matchup with Willows on Friday.

RANKINGS

1. River Valley Falcons (14-4, 2-1 in TCC)

Catching up: A program-best nine-game winning streak was snapped last Thursday after a 79-70 loss at Natomas.

The Falcons started Tri-County Conference play with lopsided wins over Woodland and Pioneer.

Coming up next: R.V. will try to make a move to the top of the TCC beginning tonight at home against Inderkum. The Falcons could move into first with a win over the Tigers and their first win ever against Yuba City on Friday.

Breakdown: River Valley's hot streak was ended by the Nighthawks, and now it's time to see how the team responds.

Tonight's home game against Inderkum will be a challenge followed by Friday's game which doesn't need much explanation — it's Yuba City, enough said.

2. Lindhurst Blazers (14-5, 2-0 in GEL)

Catching up: The Blazers opened the Golden Empire League portion of their schedule with resounding wins over Mesa Verde and West Campus.

Coming up next: They will host a much-improved Dixon team tonight and head to Marysville on Friday for their rivalry game with the Indians.

Breakdown: On paper, this league looks like it will come down to a battle between Lindhurst and Capital Christian (15-4).

Lindhurst isn't looking past anybody though.

Last season, the Blazers' only league loss was at home, on homecoming, to the Indians. The GEL may seem like a cake walk so far, but if the team learned anything from last year, no matchup in this league is a "gimme."

3. Yuba City Honkers (11-8, 3-0 in TCC)

Catching up: Yuba City left a five-game losing streak in the rearview mirror, opening the TCC with three straight victories.

Coming up next: The Honkers shouldn't have too much trouble getting past Woodland (2-17) tonight, setting up a chance to finish the first cycle of conference play undefeated at River Valley.

Breakdown: Despite a bevy of injuries plaguing the roster, the Honkers have mustered a 3-0 mark in the TCC.

Matt Hayes ranks fourth in the Sac-Joaquin Section in scoring and fifth in rebounds. He hasn't had to do all the heavy lifting though.

Backcourt mates Gagan Purewal, Gurpreet Singh and Nick Brown have shown the capability to complement Hayes.

4. Faith Christian Lions (16-2, 5-0 in SMAL)

Catching up: Faith has cruised in league play with an average margin of victory of 29 points. The only close call was a 65-63 win over Buckingham Charter.

Coming up next: The Lions face the two-time defending league champion Valley Christian Lions tonight with a chance to take sole possession of first place.

Faith ends the week hosting Lutheran on Friday night.

Breakdown: The Lions can show they are a legitimate contender with a strong showing against Valley tonight.

Senior Blake Lavin and junior Micah Atkins will have to share the load against a Lions team that is long and athletic.

Of the 13 players on Valley's roster, only three are under 6 feet tall.

5. Gridley Bulldogs (8-10, 1-1 in BVL)

Catching up: Gridley opened BVL play with an impressive showing against the defending league champs.

The Bulldogs lost on the road to Orland 69-64 in overtime, however, bounced back with a 45-32 victory over Sutter on Friday night.

Coming up next: Gridley faces Winters at home tonight, then has the week off before facing Wheatland on Jan. 31.

Breakdown: The Bulldogs' overtime loss to Orland wasn't disheartening. Coach Nathan Link couldn't have been happier with his team's effort.

Gridley showed it can hang with the BVL's best and the Bulldogs will get another shot next month against Orland at Farmer's Hall.

On the cusp: Pierce (10-4, 3-0 in Sacramento Valley League) — With the duo of Dorantes and Andy Corona, the Bears are eyeing an SVL title.

GIRLS

GAME TO WATCH: Live Oak at Colusa, Thursday, 7 p.m.

PRIME-TIME PERFORMER: Colusa senior Katie Mobley — the RedHawks' center — is dominating this year, averaging 17 points per game and 11 rebounds.

She scored 26 points and pulled down 14 rebounds against Durham last week in a 63-57 victory.

RANKINGS

1. River Valley Falcons (16-4, 3-0 in TCC)

Catching up: The Falcons are in the middle of the best season in program history.

Winners of seven straight, the Falcons are rolling through the TCC.

Coming up next: R.V. will face its biggest challenge of the year on Wednesday at Inderkum. The Falcons host Yuba City on Friday.

Breakdown: This team has depth.

Whether it's Taylor Massengale in the post, Aleqse Hawkins on the perimeter, or Klarissa Gonzalez doing a little bit of both, the Falcons have multiple weapons.

In the latest Sacramento Bee rankings, the Falcons are holding on to the No. 20 spot.

2. Colusa RedHawks (14-3, 2-1 in SVL)

Catching up: Colusa's six-game winning streak was snapped by Willows as the Honkers routed the RedHawks 65-42.

Before that loss, Colusa had wins over Durham and Pierce to open SVL play.

Coming up next: Colusa hosts Live Oak on Thursday and will make the long trip up to Weaverville on Saturday to face Trinity.

Breakdown: A lopsided loss to Willows on the road didn't move Colusa out of the No. 2 spot.

To stay high in the rankings, the RedHawks will need strong performances this week against a couple tough SVL opponents.

Coach Jerry Davies said this league will be a dog fight until the final week.

3. Marysville Indians (11-7, 1-1 in GEL)

Catching up: The Indians have split their first two league games with a loss to Capital Christian and a win over Mesa Verde.

Coming up next: Marysville gets a big-time test on Wednesday against West Campus (12-5, 2-0), the defending league champs. The Indians will face winless Lindhurst on Friday.

Breakdown: The Indians jump two spots in our rankings with the teams ahead of them struggling.

Marysville has a big challenge against the Warriors on Wednesday.

4. East Nicolaus Spartans (16-3, 2-1 in MVL — South)

Catching up: The Spartans picked up a couple losses since our last rankings, falling to Colusa and Portola.

East Nic defeated Esparto and Williams in league games.

Coming up next: The schedule gets even tougher on Friday night at undefeated Hamilton (17-0).

Breakdown: Our former No. 1 team has fallen on hard times with lopsided losses to Colusa and Portola. Those two teams have only lost five games combined this season.

The Spartans will step out of the south division to face Hamilton, Quincy and Biggs in their next three games.

5. Live Oak Lions (11-5, 1-1 in SVL)

Catching up: Live Oak is at .500 in SVL play with a 62-50 win over Durham and a six-point loss to Willows.

Coming up next: The Lions face two local rivals, Pierce and Colusa, this week.

Breakdown: The SVL is up for grabs this season and with Amyah and Anijah Clark leading the way, the Lions have to feel good about their chances.

On the cusp: Biggs (11-6, 2-0 in the MVL — North) — Biggs began league play with convincing victories. We'll see what happens tonight against Hamilton.