Home sweep home. Stephanie Liu sang the national anthem, the pep band entertained the fans, fall athletes were honored at halftime, a packed house cheered our boys, and Varsity joined Frosh and JV to sweep College Park in an exciting come-from-behind 69-62 win. In short, a perfect night to be a Don.

The Falcons jumped to a 4-pt lead. But the Dons stayed on their heels. Aidan Bodner was relentless on defense, including back-to-back steals followed by a tip. Joey Carrillo made the final basket of the quarter on an assist by John Kalil, bringing the Dons within three, 14-17 at the end of Q1.

Second quarter, the Dons started strong with scoring by Scott Ruegg and Jackson Aris-Dumas and assists by Graham Smith and Aidan, tying the game 19–19. Joey then scored twice, briefly giving the Dons a 23-21 lead. But the Dons’ shooting went cold while the Falcons got hot. The Dons ended the half down 26-36.

Jackson started the third quarter by scoring 5 points, helping the Dons get back on track. Joey scored the go ahead basket, taking the lead 48-47 with two minutes left in the quarter. When the Falcons fought back, Graham delivered, tying the game 50-50.

The fourth quarter, the Dons went on a 7-2 run but the Falcons battled back to 57-57. Jackson’s two 3-pointers, Graham’s 3-pointer, and baskets by Joey, Scott, and John led to a 19-point quarter. The score was 64-62 with 30 seconds left. Jackson’s final 3-pointer and free throws by Jackson and Scott led to a final score of 69-62.

Aidan’s and Jake Davis’s powerful defense gave the Falcons a headache all night. Jackson and Joey scored all four quarters, both recording season highs of 18 points each. Scott and Aidan posted double-digit scoring. The Dons’ free throws were on the mark:  Graham 100%, Aidan 85%, and Jackson 75%.

Dons Nation was a powerful sixth man on Friday night. Bring your same enthusiasm to Monday night’s home game against Las Lomas and help the Dons beat the Knights. DonsShowup!