Central Coast Section Division II champion Palo Alto was unbeaten (12-0)--and barely challenged--in the De Anza Division, while co-champions Saratoga and Cupertino both won 10 of 12 El Camino contests and finished three games better than their nearest foes.

Not surprisingly, those three teams dominated the major awards announced recently by the league's coaches.

Two Palo Alto standouts, senior Brian Baskauskas and junior Jeremy Lin, shared Most Valuable Player honors in the De Anza Division, while a pair of 6-foot-3 seniors--Cupertino's John Hiley and Saratoga's Danny Wallace--were tabbed co-Most Valuable Players in the El Camino circuit.

All-El Camino

Saratoga and Cupertino, clearly the superior teams of the El Camino Division this season, both had three other players named to all-league lists. Falcons Chris Etterman and Nima Rad and Pioneers Greg Thacker and Ehson Mortezaie received first team status, while Falcon Ryan Matsuura and Pioneer Alonzo Fitz were second team.

During the Falcons' 22-6 season, Wallace led his team in points (375) and rebounds (374), an average of 13.4 in each category. He also paced the Falcons in steals (87).

Hiley was the top point producer for the Pioneers during a 20-8 season with 12.8 a game. His rebounding total (137) wasn't as huge as Wallace's because he had to battle senior teammates Fitz (200) and Thacker (112) for them. Hiley also ranked second on the Cupertino team in steals and third in assists.

Thacker, a 6-foot-1 forward, ranked third among Pioneers in rebounding and blocked shots. He totaled 32 points in the two games against Saratoga. Mortezaie, a 5-foot-9 junior guard, was second to Hiley in scoring (10.9) and paced the Pioneers in assists and steals. Fitz, at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds one of the league's biggest players, averaged about eight points and eight rebounds, but long will be remembered for his nine blocked shots against Saratoga in the league finale.

Saratoga's all-league contingent was led by Wallace, who dominated play inside and was the key for the Falcons. However, the perimeter play of sharp-shooting guards Etterman, Rad and Matsuura was just as important to the Falcons' success.

Etterman, a floor leader for the Falcons, ranked third on the team in scoring (10.9 points per game), third in assists and fourth in steals. The 5-foot-8 senior connected on 45 three-point shot attempts and was the team's best free-throw shooter (78 percent).

Rad, second in scoring (11.1 per game) and steals, was remarkable from beyond the three-point line. The 5-9 senior scored more than two-thirds of his 310 points with 69 three-pointers. Matsuura, a 5-6 junior with excellent ball-handling skills, dished out 111 assists and converted 70 percent of his foul shots.

Brian Ngo of Santa Clara and Kevin Riley of Los Altos rounded out the first team.

Joining Fitz and Matsuura on the second team were three Monta Vista players: 6-foot-4 senior Garrett Peters, 5-foot-9 sophomore Marcus Woo and 6-foot senior Jeff Clewett. Brett Perotta of Los Altos and Kyle High of Santa Clara completed the list.

Lynbrook's Justin Teng and Jenthen Pandian received honorable mention plaudits, along with Richard Harris of Wilcox, Tim Mort of Santa Clara and Axari Aspedilla of Los Altos.