Saturday, January 13, 2024
Record: 14-3
The JV Basketball team started their three-game road trip with an impressive victory. The young Dons defeated the Benecia Panthers by a score of 54 to 40. The Dons improved to 4-0 in league play and 14-3 for the season!
Acalanes controlled the tip off as well as the 1st quarter. A Josh Elerts power move inside, which would be the theme of the game, and a steal and layup by AJ Hastings put the visitors up 4-0. Julian Hood hit a three-pointer followed by another inside score by Josh for a nine-point lead. Julian ended the quarter with a foul shot. The Dons led 12-4.
In the 2nd quarter, the Dons seemed to lose their focus. Players started to take highly contested shots instead of passing to an open teammate. This led to turnovers or ill-advised shots which allowed the Panthers to crawl back into the game. A Panther three pointer cut the lead down to five. A nice move by Lorenzo Cangini countered the Panther scoring. But the home team utilized a mini run to get the score down further. At halftime, the Dons led 22-20.
The third quarter started with each team exchanging baskets. The Panthers even took the lead 30-29. This is when Coach Thomas turned to his Dougherty Valley Tournament MVP, Gavin Beers. Beers settled the team down by slowing the pace and distributing the ball to open players. He also hit an outside shot when left open. Now, with Dons controlling the pace and dominating the interior, Acalanes went on a nine-point run. Arman Craig contributed four points in the decisive quarter. The third quarter ended with the Dons up 38-30.
The Dons build upon their success from the previous quarter. Elerts immediately scored inside followed by a Beers three pointer. Dons up by fourteen points. The two teams exchanged baskets for the remaining portion of the game. Whenever the Dons felt the Panthers inching closer, the team would give the ball to Josh Elerts to spoil their comeback attempt. Josh finished the game with a season-high 26 points. Lorenzo Cangini was the Dons second leading scorer with 8 points.
New player Bethel Imasuen had this to say about the game: “Our solid defense lead to offense opportunities.” Bethel, a transfer student from England, further added: “We slowed our pace down, passed more, and made it difficult for them to stop us.”
The JV Basketball team’s continue their road trip with Alhambra. The game is scheduled for Wednesday, January 17. 2024. Tipoff is at 6:00pm. Fear the Blue!