The Varsity Boys Basketball team sprang into action early in Monday night’s home game against Northgate. The Dons opened the game with a commanding lead; the Falcons closed in, but the Dons took control, ultimately defeating Northgate 72-61.
The Dons were in rhythm and played great team ball throughout the night. Aidan Bodner led the Dons’ aggressive defense with awesome steals and fast breaks, and Scott Ruegg led the team’s offense with 21 points. The team displayed great passing, assists, and shooting (with Graham Smith, Joey Carrillo, and Aidan joining Scott in double-digit scoring). Team defense forced the Falcon turnovers all night. It was a high energy game that stayed exciting and competitive through the end.
Jake Davis opened the game by scoring within the first few seconds, and then Aidan promptly stole the ball and scored on a fast break. Scott, Joey, and Aidan all forced turnovers, helping the Dons take a 9-0 lead before the Falcons turned the tide and hit four 3-pointers. The Dons weren’t fazed. Joey scored on a couple nice drives to the basket, and Jackson Aris-Dumas knocked down a 3-pointer. With two seconds left in the quarter, the Dons were down by one, but Graham hit a floater at the buzzer, putting the Dons up 22-21.
The second quarter opened with another basket by Jake assisted by Aidan. Defense was again strong, with Jake blocking and Aidan and Scott stealing. But Dons’ shooting was off, and the Dons were down 30-32 at the end of Q2.
The Dons’ offense dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Falcons 26-14. It was once again team effort with Aidan, Scott, and Jackson assisting, and Scott, Aidan, Graham, and John Kalil all scoring. Aidan had back-to-back steals on Falcon inbound passes, scoring on a fast break. Jackson, Graham, Scott, and Aidan all swished 3-pointers, and Scott scored 12 points in the quarter. The Dons took the lead 56-46 at the end of the third.
Fourth quarter was more evenly matched with the Dons scoring 16 to the Falcons’ 15. Aidan had a couple more great steals and Joey a nice block plus two more great drives to the basket in the final minutes. Graham and Scott secured the win by nailing their final free throws of the night in the final minute of the game. Shreekar Pandey and John were 100% from the free throw line.
Shout outs to Stephanie Liu for her beautiful performance of our national anthem, Dons Nation for supporting the team the entire game, and Pat Carrillo (ball squad extraordinaire) for keeping the court safe for both teams. Wednesday night is Campo at home. Frosh 4:00; JV 5:30; Varsity 7:00, with Senior Celebration. Come support your Dons!
