WALNUT — After spending over a decade in the Hacienda League, the Walnut boys basketball team is making the transition to the Palomares League this season.

So far, the Mustangs are having no trouble in their new surroundings.

They improved to 3-0 in league Thursday, using an up-tempo offense to defeat Bonita 56-39 and stay atop the league standings.

Walnut head coach Joe Khouzam emphasized to his team how important every win is in the new league.

“This is a brutal league. On any given night, anybody can beat anybody,” Khouzam said. “Basically we are playing for league championships every night. We told the guys you gotta protect your house and win everything at home…This was a must win for us at home against a well-coached and very good team.”

The Mustangs (14-6 overall) were led by forward Isaiah Leon, who had 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including 3 of 5 from behind the 3-point arc. The senior forward tacked on five rebounds and two steals.

Khouzam said Leon’s offensive versatility is what makes him so dangerous.

“I mean, he can finish at the rim and stretch it out and hit the three. He’s a multi-tool type of guy,” Khouzam noted. “When he’s locked in and playing well, he makes us so much better.”

Leon had 11 of his 20 points in the second quarter, which was as many points as Bonita (10-9,1-2) had in the quarter.

“I was feeling confident, I was making my shots,” Leon said. “I missed a few, but kept shooting and keeping the energy and playing hard.”

Leon, a senior, understood how important the game was for the program.

“We came out here ready to win,” Leon added. “We wanted to come in and prove our record in league.”

Walnut put together an impressive defensive presence as it built an 11-point lead and held Bonita to just 17 points in the first half.

Bonita head coach Tim Godley said his team was too inconsistent to compete with the high-octane Mustangs.

“I think we were maybe a bit inconsistent,” Godley said. “They beat us more than we beat ourselves today. They’re a very good basketball team and you gotta play a pretty sound game to beat them.”

The Mustangs got a valuable contribution off the bench from guard Kareem Abdul-Haqq, who provided 10 points and five rebounds.

The senior gives the Mustangs a veteran presence off the bench, something Khouzam highly values.

“Kareem was awesome. He’s just an energy guy, he plays hard, he can guard one through five,” Khouzam said. “My favorite part is he’s just relentless on the boards.”

Abdul-Haqq scored nine of his 10 points in the second half, which was crucial for Walnut as it worked to protect its lead.

The Bearcats pulled within seven points with 1:28 left in the third quarter, but didn’t get any closer. The Mustangs pushed their lead back up to double digits with 6:49 left in the fourth quarter.

Bonita forward Hunter Smith had a game-high of 21 points on 8 10 shooting from the field. He was 3 of 3 from beyond the arc.