Friday, December 1, 2023

The Junior Varsity Boys Basketball team advanced to the championship game in the John Rhodes with a victory over San Ramon Hight School. The hosting Dons won by the score of 64-53.

The game featured two talented teams that easily won their first tournament games. A back-and-forth game was to be expected, and it happened. The two teams battled back and forth with the half ending at 27 to 21 in favor of the Dons.

The game remained close. After three quarters, the Dons lead 43-38. With only a minute and thirty seconds left in the game, the Dons led by only three, 56-53. It is then the Dons decided to squash San Ramon comeback attempt by going on an eight-point run, which lead to a 11-point victory for the home team.

Josh Elerts, number 24, was an unstoppable force throughout the game. He led the Dons by scoring 17 points. Gavin Beers was also a key contributor to the team’s victory. His passionate defense led to several steals, and the shooting guard contributed 11 points.

Coach Eric Thomas, who was promoted from coaching the freshmen to junior varsity in the offseason, had this to say about the game: “The way we were able to control the tempo was the biggest key for us. We had times where we let them speed us up, and they (San Ramon) would go on a run. But our ability to settle down and get back to playing at our pace carried us through the game.”

The Junior Varsity Basketball team will play Dublin for the John Rhodes Championship. The game is scheduled for Saturday, December 2, 2023, at 2:30pm. Please join us at the Acalanes main gymnasium to cheer on our Dons and honor the life of John Rhodes.