There’s no better way to put it, on a rainy Thursday night in Lamorinda, this was another beautiful day in Lafayette. Hosting the Chris Huber Tournament, the 5-0 Dons, fresh off winning the Piedmont Tournament, entered the game against the Ygnacio Valley Wolves with a partial roster. Key starters and a deep part of the bench missed the game due to illness, this only sparked the Dons to do what they do best, pick each other up and exemplify team cohesion.

Missing their big man, the Dons went into the game knowing they had to change up the game plan if they were going to shut down the Wolves 6’10” Junior. The game opened up with Ygnacio Valley getting the first couple of buckets and then Trevor Carillo hit a nice outside 3 to get the Dons on the board.

Despite some tough defense from the Dons, Ygnacio Valley went on a mini 7-0 run before the Dons responded with Colin Norstad feeding Jack Bayless underneath for 2 and Brady Quinn dishing to Jack for a fast break and 2.

Colin then grabbed a board and passed to Jack who drew a tough foul and hit a free-throw. The Wolves responded with a 3, and Jack then returned the favor to Colin, slipping him a pass for a mid range jumper.

After hard defense, some tough fouls, the first period ended with the Dons trailing 10-17.

The second period opened up with a fast break for Ygnacio Valley then Brady passing to Zubin Acuna for an outside 3, little did we know this was a sign of how this game was going to role.

The next series got a little intense, YV hit a 3 but then Brady fed Jack for 2, Jack drove for another bucket then grabbed a board and dished to Colin who hit a jumper. Then Jack grabbed another board leading to Zubin hitting another 3 and tying the game at 22 with 5:18 left in the half.

The Wolfs went on another run before the Dons finally stopping them with Colin scrambling for the ball, sneaking a pass to Jordan for a pretty layup closing out the half with the Dons trailing 27-38.

Playing shorthanded, the Dons fought hard but lost both the first and second periods, got a much needed rest at half-time and came out in the third period with the fighting spirit of a team that only knows how to give 110%.

The second half opened with Trevor grabbing a board, Colin driving for a bucket, Jack grabbing yet another of his game leading 7 boards and Zubin hitting another 3. With a blink the game was 32-38 and the Dons were back in it. YV answered with a 2 and then a 3 extending the lead. Little did they know the rain that was about to come down on their spirits.

Jack, Colin, Zubin and Trevor all worked the boards, Jordan had a sweet assist, Jack was on fire stealing, causing turnovers and driving to the basket, and the Dons dominated the period with Zubin’s four 3s. The Dons won the 3rd and going into the 4th period it was 46-53 with the Wolves still ahead.

Early in the season, it’s becoming clear the Dons aren’t just about bringing a team together to be the best they can be on and off the court, they also are about providing great entertainment that isn’t for the faint of heart. Little can be said that captures the roller coaster ride of the final period of this game. The story is best told by watching video highlights as its one that reads like a fantasy tail.

The Dons were using the full squad, Liam Krackeler worked the floor, Nathan Bennett was pulling down boards, Trevor had another clutch 3 and some big boards and with Colin fouling out keeping the Wolves big man to 4 points in the game, Jack and Zubin took over.

The Dons were working the floor but the Wolves kept fighting back and with 3 minutes left in the game the Dons were still down by 7 at 50-57. Trevor hit a 3, Jack drove for 2 and it was a two point game. YV hit a quick 2 and then a free-throw and Trevor pulled down an offensive board and dished to Zubin for a deep 3.

Something changed, the crowd was frenetic and yet the Dons seemed to have a calmness about them. The confidence instilled in them by Coach Powers clearly took over as the last minute of the game was one of high intensity for fans and one of extreme poise for the Dons. With 28.5 seconds left on the clock and the Dons trailing 58-60, Jack was sent to the line to shoot a 1 and 1. Regardless of the outcome, the team had already won the hearts of the crowd. Coming back from a double-digit deficit to make this a game was already a victory.

Calmly stepping to the line, with the Wolves team pounding their bench, Jack hit the front end of the 1 and 1 making it 59-60. He swished the second and tied the game and all the Dons needed to do was to get a stop and the game would go to overtime. That nearly happened, but not quite. The Dons defense forced Ygnacio to make a bad shot but the Wolves grabbed an offensive board and somehow were fouled just before the game buzzer went off with .2 seconds on the clock.

The intensity of the crowd was reverberating through the gym, and credit to the Wolves they were shooting a 1 and 1 from the line to win the game. With .2 on the clock they really just needed 1 to win. Their shooter hit the first free-throw and their bench went crazy. They thought they had the game but they were called for a technical foul for coming off the bench and flying onto the court. This was an amazing turn of events. The Dons cleared away, letting the Wolves shooter hit his second, retaking the lead at 60-62 with the Dons chance to tie the game shooting 2 on the technical.

Zubin already had seven 3s and a 2, what more could the team ask of him.

Gracefully, again with the Wolves pounding their bench, Zubin stepped to the line and swished his first free-throw. Nonchalantly he bounced the ball, shot his second and turned and walked away before the ball hit the bottom of the net. He knew he had it, the crowd went wild. The game was once again tied with .2 seconds at 62-62.

Although the Dons had the ball due to the Wolves technical, at this point the crowd was guaranteed for the story to continue into overtime. With .2 seconds on the clock it’s impossible to inbound and catch and shoot, so the only play is a Hail Mary alley-oop type of pass hoping for a tip in.

Seemingly, Coach Powers drew up a play, the crowd was bemused as Trevor stood on the sideline 30 feet out from the bucket, the Dons ran a play, Jack charged the basket, Trevor threw a perfect one arm lob, Jack leapt, tipped the ball into the basket and in a blink the game was over and the Dons kept their perfect record. You had to be there to believe it.

The final score was 64-62, as the clock hit zero and the fans stormed the court, it was the first time the Dons led in the game.

Game two of the tournament is Friday night at 8:30pm, come on out!