A strong first half wasn’t enough as the Acalanes boys basketball team fell to the Clayton Valley Eagles 55-43 on Thursday.

The Dons controlled the first half, holding an 18-11 lead at the end of the 1st quarter and 29-22 lead at the half. The Dons sharpshooters started hot, nailing seven 3-point shots in the half, with two apiece by each of Jackson Aris-Dumas, a senior, Noah Bloch, a junior, and Scott Ruegg, a senior.

To start the third, neither team seemed inclined to score, as the Eagles hit the first bucket of the half with under six minutes remaining in the quarter. The Eagles then swung the momentum, turning up the defensive pressure, forcing turnovers and converting them to easy transition buckets. When the dust settled, the Eagles had scored twelve unanswered and held a 34-29 lead.

The fourth quarter saw the Dons battle back, hitting another four three-pointers and shaving the Eagles’ advantage to 46-43 with a minute and a half remaining. Undaunted, the Eagles quickly ran the lead to eight. The Eagles tacked on another four at the free throw line to finish the contest 55-43. Ruegg led the Dons in scoring with twelve points, followed by seven each from Aris-Dumas and Bloch.